Magical Girl Convergence
by JameyoftheMegacosmos
Summary: The past can never be changed...or can it? As one little creature slips into a wormhole, he seeks two souls who will break the dark future that awaits all of creation...the future at the end of the Convergence. One of several planned magical girl crossovers based on Super Robot Wars, and the most unorthodox one. Has two original protagonists, though only one will be followed.
1. Prologue

_Here is really one of several fics inspired by Super Robot Wars, but with a magical girl flair. The series has a complete list, but this is the most unorthodox of my current plotlines, not only for including two series with "cute witches" rather than magical girls, but also adding a straight out mecha series as well._

 _The list is as follows, excluding the original storyline:_

 _* Izetta the Last Witch_

 _* Strike Witches_

 _** Strike Witches 2_

 _** Strike Witches: The Movie_

 _* Buddy Complex_

 _** Buddy Complex: Into the Skies of Tomorrow_

 _* Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha_

 _** Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS_

 _* Sailor Moon_

 _** Sailor Moon R (Black Moon Arc)_

 _* Puella Magi Madoka Magica_

 _* Daybreak Illusion - il sole penetra le illusioni_

 _* Yuki Yuna is a Hero_

 _** Yuki Yuna is a Hero: The Hero Chapter_

 _* Vividred Operation_

 _* And finally, my own magical girl series, Universal Lady Justice Aya. This fic would cover the last two parts, which are unpublished yet the beef of the whole series._

 _Before I continue, I need some feedback over which of two protagonists should be the main one, inspired by the recent Super Robot Wars games._

 _Even so, I hope people take interest in the story._

* * *

A pair of large wide eyes stared in the face of a bright light. Although it didn't exactly suck him in, the waves and ripples formed a tunnel that attracted him. It was far more than his size, yet only he was tasked to go through it.

For him, he first thought of himself as just a Murlock, an insignificant creature with the only purpose as livestock to humans and worshippers of humans as gods. He was far shorter than a human, being only a quarter of a meter tall. He had black fur on most of his body, which was shaped more like a rabbit, except for his white belly and hands. The only few things he could relate himself to humans was walking on his two feet, his tiny bare hands, his ability to understand and speak the human language, and to think like them.

And yet, one of these human beings looked to him as no different, to whom he turned back. In the cold, dark metal room was an adult woman with short black hair that covered her eyes. This was the woman who took him in from the farming grounds. She gave him an education, teaching him the human language and knowledge in ancient machines...such knowledge that his kind may or may not have forgotten, knowledge that was forbidden to her kind. Even this was high treason...treason against the Vilag.

"Are you scared?" the woman asked him from the darkness.

He remained silent, unsure of what to say. From that moment, the woman approached him and held something in her hand. It was a thin, gold necklace with a white crystal pendant. She placed it around his neck as she continued.

"If you are unsure, just remember that the fate of future hands in the balance. As long as you believe, you can have the power to change this future."

Just then, a large metal crash shook the two as they faced the door, now showing light.

"Go now, Tipler," she called out his name. "Find them...and guide them so that this future never happens. For you, the human race, and for everyone else."

By then, she pushed Tipler forward towards the small wormhole. When he was almost a foot away from the device, he turned back to see the woman making her final stand. The door was already blasted open and beasts were crawling into the room. The woman fought back as she fired bolts of flame against the wolf-like monsters. Hunterbeasts, he remembered that they were called; each looking like wolves with sharp claws and fangs, the jumping height of a leopard, hides and bones as strong as steel, and the jaws of a wild boar. These grey-furred monsters came in a pack of six with the primary purpose of hunting down their prey.

Their very existence shook Tipler to the bone, even though the woman already took down one of them with ease. However, she found herself surrounded by them, far more than she can handle. One that passed her already sensed his presence, giving a growl that would intimidate any animal.

Instead, Tipler glared at the beast. Even though the creature was fast, it was still not enough for the Murlock to close the distance. With one quick leap, he launched into the portal before it could get a chance to bite him. He knew he already succeeded in getting away, the moment he found himself accelerating forward.

Cruising through the portal, he faced forward in the hope that he could rewrite the past. For humanity's sake...no, for everything's sake...

* * *

...

* * *

 _The year is 1940, the era of the Second World War._

 _Years ago, global conflict cast a dark shadow on the world. The war was not created by human powers, but rather an unknown force that waged war on humanity. No one knew exactly where they come from, only that the powers that be identified them as "Neuroi." Across the world, these creatures manifested in the sky to establish their hives. By absorbing the landmasses and nearby machine, they formed weapons that cut through with brutal and deadly efficiency._

 _Because of the frightening power of this new enemy, humanity was forced to couple together so they could fight back. Their greatest weapon was the Striker Unit, flying leg machines operated by women with the power to operate them. The pilots of these units became known as Witches and were the world's greatest soldiers against the Neuroi. For that, they were honored as heroes._

 _Even then, not all of humanity was united against this common enemy. In mainland Europe, the almighty Empire of Germania was one of the few nations that did not join the world's fight against the Neuroi. Instead, the Empire took advantage of the devastation in 1939, when they invaded the then powerless nation of Livonia. They then moved westward and absorbed Galia and all of its other nearby neighbors._

 _The powers of the world denounced the Empire of Germania for neglecting humanity's war against the Neuroi for their own ambitions. Renaming themselves as the Allies, they shifted their agenda to resist their conquests with whatever efforts possible. However, with the two powers' advanced technology, blitzkrieg tactics, and lack of hostility against each other, progress was slow and humanity was fighting a losing war._

 _Now the Empire continued its conquests by baring its fangs against its southern neighbor, the Duchy of Elystadt. Despite suffering no attacks, the small nation was burdened by fear for it had no real military strength against its enemies._

 _However, one young girl believes that she can change the fate of her country. And with it, change the fate of humanity._

* * *

 _So here are the selectable protagonists of the series. I'll then stick to that particular character for the whole fic._

 _Alice Alcubierre_

 _Age: ~16_

 _Birthday: N/A_

 _Nationality: United States of Liberion_

 _Height: 65 inches_

 _Hair color: Blonde, shoulder length_

 _Cup Size: C_

 _Eye color: Silver_

 _Skin/fur/etc colour: White_

 _Preferred style of clothing: Short-sleeve shirt and shorts._

 _Frequently worn jewelry/accessories: Wears an earring on her left ear._

 _Personality: Adventurous, liberal, hot-blooded_

 _Likes: Exploration_

 _Dislikes: Timeouts_

 _Favorite color: Red_

 _STORY_

 _Alice Alcubierre is the only daughter in her family with only a mother. When she discovered psychic abilities, she used her free time to develop her powers to a significant degree. Although she caused a lot of trouble, it's also thanks to her powers that she made a living at an early age to take care of her parents. After they died, she went to the United States as she promised them, under the belief that she'll have an easier living._

 _When World War II came with the Germanian and Neuroi invasions, that didn't stop Alice from using her money to travel to Europe. In fact, she saw this as an opportunity to use her powers for good, listening to the propaganda denouncing Germania as warmongering collaborators of the Neuroi. She wishes to make it a surprise and thus heads over to Westria to do it._

 _If Alice is chosen as the main character, Tipler encourages to take a more active approach to the way to further develop her abilities. Therefore, she goes to Eylstadt, where the Germanians are readying for an invasion. By getting there, they sneak onboard a train, unaware that it contains the princess of Eylstadt on it._

 _Alice's psychic abilities specialize in fire, wind, and light._

* * *

 _Candice Casimir_

 _Age: ~15_

 _Birthday: N/A_

 _Nationality: Livonia_

 _Height: 65 inches_

 _Hair color: Blonde, long with a blue headband_

 _Cup Size: B_

 _Eye color: Silver_

 _Skin/fur/etc colour: White_

 _Preferred style of clothing: White and blue gown with long sleeves_

 _Frequently worn jewelry/accessories: Wears an earring on her right ear._

 _Personality: Conservative, reserved_

 _Likes: Tea_

 _Dislikes: Dirty clothes_

 _Favorite color: Blue_

 _STORY_

 _Candice was lived in a traditional family with a younger brother, where she was taught etiquette rather than social skills. Although she had a higher affinity in terms of power, she was discouraged to practice them openly since he parents feared she'll be targeted, especially by the Germanians who were persecuting Witches, or used as a weapon._

 _Unfortunately, her easy lifestyle was short-lived when the Neuroi suddenly attacked her homeland. She became the only survivor of her family, who was told by her dying father to head to safety. Her place of refuge became close to the borderline between Westria and Eylstadt. Using what was left of her family's fortune and developing her powers more, she established a small residence where she lived independently and isolated from the rest of the world._

 _If Candice is the main character, Tipler calls to adventure, stating that she is literally going to be in future danger. After the enemies forces pursuing Tipler attack her home, she convinces herself to stop hiding and start resisting._

 _Candice specializes in manipulating electricity, earth, and water._

* * *

 _Feel free to give suggestions, though the list for Convergence is final._

 _Either way, hope you're interested._


	2. Episode 1

_Now for the first Episode. And according to the polls, Alice is the favored protagonist, which is very convenient considering my plans for this fic._

 _For a quick recap, this is the bio for the chosen character._

 _Alice Alcubierre_

 _Age: ~16_  
 _Birthday: N/A_  
 _Nationality: United States of Liberion_  
 _Height: 65 inches_  
 _Hair color: Blonde, shoulder length_  
 _Cup Size: C_  
 _Eye color: Silver_  
 _Skin/fur/etc colour: White_  
 _Preferred style of clothing: Red sleeveless shirt and green shorts._  
 _Frequently worn jewelry/accessories: Wears an earring on her left ear._  
 _Personality: Adventurous, liberal, hot-blooded, mischievous_  
 _Likes: Exploration_  
 _Dislikes: Timeouts_  
 _Favorite color: Red_

 _STORY_  
 _Alice Alcubierre is the only daughter in her family with only a mother. When she discovered psychic abilities, she used her free time to develop her powers to a significant degree. Although she caused a lot of trouble, it's also thanks to her powers that she made a living at an early age to take care of her parents. After they died, she went to the United States as she promised them, under the belief that she'll have an easier living._

 _When World War II came with the Germanian and Neuroi invasions, that didn't stop Alice from using her money to travel to Europe. In fact, she saw this as an opportunity to use her powers for good, listening to the propaganda denouncing Germania as warmongering collaborators of the Neuroi. She wishes to make it a surprise and thus heads over to Westria to do it._

 _If Alice is chosen as the main character, Tipler encourages to take a more active approach to the way to further develop her abilities. Therefore, she goes to Eylstadt, where the Germanians are readying for an invasion. By getting there, they plan to sneak into the city of Albringen, unaware that the princess of Eylstadt is on the way._

 _Alice's psychic abilities specialize in fire, wind, and light._

 _In any case, here's the episode._

* * *

"Princess, wake up."

A man bumped a young woman next to her. He was sitting with another man across from him on a luxurious passenger train. They were right by a corner to ensure no one could see their faces, especially the woman onboard.

Ortfiné Fredericka von Eylstadt, formally known as Finé by those who knew her best, widened her eyes from her bodyguard's nudge. During the long ride, she was in the middle of daydream about her childhood, when she was racing with her dog to a nearby residence. That was the moment she saw _her_...someone she would never forget in her life.

But there was no more time for daydreaming. As heiress to the Duchy of Eylstadt, she had an unwavering duty and mission. She could not risk putting herself in jeopardy, even when she was in a neutral territory.

As she paid attention to Tobias's signals, she caught a glimpse of the last thing she wanted to see on her trip to Westria.

"Germanian soldiers?" Fine eyed on two men with dark green-colored military uniforms and silver plating. "A random inspection here?"

The two men were holding a photo that had Finé's face without a doubt. The two men were checking the passengers on the train seat by seat.

"You can't do this! This is a neutral country!"

"We're here to investigate a suspicious person who's supposed to be on this train. Please be cooperative."

The soldiers gave a false sense of security as they were doing their best to check everyone's faces, even willing to use force if needed. As the citizens argued with the soldiers, Finé's men signaled that it was time for them to move. Trouble would inevitably come if they remained there.

"Damn those Germanian soldiers. What the hell is the government doing?"

One passenger cursed over the soldiers' presence. As a neutral country, shouldn't even the countries at war respect the rights of those who want nothing to do with it?

The passenger's rant got the soldiers' attention. Before they continued with their search, they spotted three people trying to leave the train.

"You there! Halt!"

The soldiers then went off to pursue their suspects.

* * *

In a nearby town, a young girl with blond hair just exited out of a small building. She walked backward out of the front door, waving at staff inside.

"Thanks for the food, goodbye!" Alice Alcubierre waved as she quickly left the building.

"Hold on! Are you sure you want to-"

"Don't worry about! I'm okay, sir! Thank you!"

Alice already caused a bit of ruckus when she butted out of the building with little manners. Her rude behavior got the attention of nearby citizens as she ran from the building. She already got significant attention with her attire, which was not normal. Only those who knew her understood behavior considering where she came.

Within a green fanny pack she wore around her waist, Tipler went was spinning over the oscillating movements of Alice's running. As he attempted to open the top cover off, the joyful Alice held her hand over it, keeping him inside the pack.

"A-A-Al-li-ce-sa-ma-a-a-a-a!"

The little Murlock bounced and impacted repeatedly inside her fanny pack as she ran through the streets of the Westrian town. After running through some blocks, it wasn't long before she reached the outskirts, where all she could see were trees, rivers, mountains, and the sunset up ahead. By the time Alice stopped moving and Tipler was able to get out, the little creature was already left dizzy and speaking gibberish.

"Jeez Tipler, could you be a little more patient? I told you that we'd move quickly as soon as I finished!"

"As I said Alice-sama, I have little patience," Tipler regain his balance annoyingly. "Besides, you were taking so much time eating your food."

"The place was expensive from the start! If they wanted money that badly, I had to make sure that they earned it!"

"And you did so by using your powers to rob the store of their food supply. Someone would figure it out sooner or later that you'd be behind it."

"And how would they figure out that? As long as they don't know I have you know what, it's not like they can build up a case about it. Besides, using my power isn't tiring, you know?"

"I prefer if you put those powers to more use, Alice-sama," Tipler addressed his grievances. "There's no telling and where'll arrive."

"You mean the Vilag?"

That was the name of the threat Tipler warned. Alice couldn't understand it, having little context over what he was explaining. Yet again, she couldn't understand a lot of things, including how she could've gotten her powers in the first place.

"As I said, Alice-sama, the Vilag does not take transgressions lightly. Once they arrive, not only will they come after me, but you as well. And they will never stop hunting you down."

"Not if I can outrun them first!" Alice looked back to see officers patrolling the streets. It was unknown whether or not they were looking for her. "Besides, that what this exercise is for, isn't it?"

"Alice-sama, you shouldn't be so-"

"Hang on!"

At the moment, gusts of wind started swirling around her hands, blinding the little Murlock. The small twisters around her arms later became strong enough that they lifted her off the ground. When she was a significant distance in mid-air, glowing spheres of light emitted at her palms, bursting into powerful flames.

After a few seconds, Alice took off with an instant launch, heading toward the forests of the Westria. As she dodged the first tree at an acute angle, Alice started making twists and turns throughout the forest. As they cruised deeper into the forest, they flew that a path parallel to the nearby railroad tracks.

* * *

In a barely lit car, a ventilation opening was kicked inside. Moments later, Finé entered through the hole and into the train's cargo area.

The princess and her guards attempted to outrun their pursuers by heading to the top of the train. The Germanian soldiers followed and a shootout ensued between the two groups. Finé nearly fell off when the train made a turn, throwing her to the side. Thanks to Hermann, she was saved from falling to her death. As Tobias covered them, Finé found the ventilation opening she kicked open. Although there wasn't much light, it has many crates for them to hide in, allowing them to hide for the time being.

As her guards followed close behind, Finé wandered to the back of the car. She couldn't explain why, but she felt some aura emitting in the area, something that recalled memories like that dream she had. This unknown element lured her past the crates and towards a strange container.

The special cargo was isolated from the rest of the crates. The length and size were enough to carry something human her size. Many tubes and containers connected to the tank that built up fog on the little window. Finé wiped the fog, she could only see darkness, which added more to the mystery.

"Princess Fine, what are you doing?"

Hermann approached the princess with Tobias falling not far behind.

"I don't know," Finé answered. "But this coffin piqued my interest for some reason."

 _Almost too familiar,_ she thought as she pulled the latches holding the tank together. But what? What was in this thing that attracted her so much?

"That is quite enough, Princess."

Finé and her guards jumped over the dark male voice. Emerging from the shadows, Major Arnold Berkmann approached the princess and her guards with a smug look and pistol in his right hand.

"That there is the personal property of His Majesty."

Hermann used a suitcase to defend Finé as she hid behind the container. Tobias took cover by a few crates stored on the wall of the car.

"Tell me, what's inside? Who exactly is in this coffin?"

"That is classified information, I'm afraid."

Berkmann aimed at Finé's head despite Hermann guarding him. In response, Tobias emerged from the crates fired at Berkmann, only to barely dodge the attack. His attempts to shoot the princess, however, were blocked by Tobias instead.

"Tobias!"

Finé shouted as one of her guards was severely wounded in the chest. The two Germanian soldiers who pursued him came up from behind Berkmann to assist.

"Princess…"

"Don't give up just yet."

Before the men could take the two into custody, the train was shrouded in darkness. Black ash entered through the vents and blinded the Germanian soldiers. Berkmann took cover and covered his mouth to prevent himself from being exposed to enemy fire. Finé found this the perfect opportunity to escape.

"At the end of this tunnel, we'll be crossing the bridge. Hermann, you take care of Tobias for me."

Finé went ahead first by running through the black smoke and toward the large door. The latch was difficult to open and she had to use her full strength to make it budge. In the meantime, Hermann dragged Tobias's body and exchanged fire with the Germanians. The black smoke prevented either side from seeing one another, which meant both sides were firing blind. Hermann and Tobias were unharmed in the Germanians' exchange of fire as the former carried his wounded comrade.

As the train exited the tunnel, from light shone on the vents and blinded the Germanian soldiers. Finé finally opened the door as large gusts of wind blew out of the car. She stared down to see a small river below. She signaled her bodyguard as they made the jump off the train.

As she fell down the river, she turned back to the car where that container was being kept. It was clear that someone, rather than something, was calling to her. Someone desired her company...and her rescue.

"Whoever you are...I'll come back for you...I swear…"

* * *

The two Germanian soldiers were too late to arrest the Elystadt visitors as they fell into the river. Both gripped their guns tightly over failing to apprehend their suspects. Berkmann, on the other hand, was very amused by the outcome.

"She's every bit the tomboy they say she is."

With his attention elsewhere, the two Germanian soldiers were to the nearby container. The two has the face of a young girl with unusual red hair."

"Major, who is this girl? And why would she be on the train?"

Berkmann sighed as he pointed his gun at the curious soldiers.

"My, my. Weren't you all listening? This is classified information, belonging to the Emperor himself."

"But sir, we were just following the Princess. We never thought we'd-"

Berkmann fired at on the two soldiers, both of them were shot in the head. As the two men laid dead on the floor, he walked to the open doorway that covered the light on their faces.

"I appreciate your dedication to your job, but you failed to remember that this is a neutral nation. Your actions made our name worse than it is already."

By then, Rickert Bisterfelt walked into the room. Berkmann didn't bother to turn his head, knowing well who was approaching. He instead went to the open door where the princess and her guards jumped out.

"Sir?"

"It looks like the princess of Elystadt is here after all."

"But why would the heir to the Archduke be leaving her homeland now? Is she trying to seek asylum?"

"No, knowing the Archduke, his family would not flee from his country. They'd rather fight to the death and be shot than do that."

"Then…"

"Tell me, Rickert," Berkmann faced his assistant. "Why would the crown princess of a nation, of which fears enemy invasion, make a personal trip to a neutral land?"

That's when it dawned on Rickert.

"Negotiations with the Allies?"

"Yes. Considering their close proximity and home to the Witches nowadays, it's most likely with Britannia."

"Do you think that they'll send Witches over to help?"

"Perhaps. We've been getting abnormal terrorist activity in the homeland as well. Attacks from the Karsland resistance force has risen dramatically."

Rickert pondered over the outcome of the said negotiations. It's true that Britannia was the primary headquarters of the 501st, one of the best military wings of Witches. Relationships with Germania were not good with either Britannia nor such magical girls, which are aware of their current treatment, even without knowing the test subject beside them.

"Now that I think about, Eylstadt is the home of the legendary Weisse Hexe clan, isn't it? Perhaps this is fate?"

"I can't say," Berkmann turned back to the open doorway. "However, if you're willing to put up a fight, you'd better hurry, Princess. Because your home country...may not last for long."

* * *

It was already well past evening time in Westria. The night filled the sky and sparkled it with thousands of stars. One the ground, the nearby cities were lit up with the spectacle of electric lights within the houses. The nearby rivers ran quite and the forest's trees blew in the direction of gentle breezes.

Except those breezes weren't gentle for long. Emerging from the forests was Alice, who was still feeling energetic with her powers.

After landing on a big branch, Alice jumped into the air, around a hundred feet above the ground. As she made her descent, she closed her eyes before spinning rapidly, creating strong gusts of wind as she descended. The leaves and sticks on the ground blew into the resulting tornado and drifted out of Alice's path as she glided back very close to the ground. She then dodged a few more trees before encountering the nearby river where she blasted fire forward to slow down.

When she slowed down enough, she touched the ground with her two feet to slow herself down. Her last step was very close to the edge, where she almost fell into the nearby river. It was only then that she took a deep breath from her exercise.

Tipler popped out of her green fanny pack not long after, panting over the adrenaline experience.

"You tired already, little rabbit?"

"I told you, it's Tipler! And don't call me by that name, I'm not a rabbit! I'm a Murlock!" Alice's giggles prompted the frustrated Murlock to sigh. "I knew that there were two choices I could've picked, but why did I ever pick you?"

"Hey, it's not your fault, isn't it? You said that you had two different choices to make and had no idea of the consequences."

"It would've still been better if you had some speck of obedience within you.

"Can't blame me either. I never anticipated you coming along. I was born in a liberal state after all!"

"So you say…"

Tipler went the nearby river with Alice as they splashed themselves with clear water. It was true that the start of his journey was a mere flip of a coin. He was given two different locations when her master set him off but was given no details. The only note her master gave him was that each path had someone with the unchecked power of Psionics.

Psionics...that was the power of the Vilag. It gave them extraordinary power that they can hold for a nearly indefinite amount of time. That power that was so great that went to great lengths to suppress that power in the name of peace. Even then, they wielded so much power that they ruled over and oppressed his kind. It was the ability that made the Murlocks look to them as gods and themselves as their food.

When he took this trip, he was expected to find one of these beings who manifested the power of Psionics. And unlike the Vilag, they could develop them liberally and had no limitations to their power.

That is...if they were able to develop them appropriately, as Alice could attest.

"Alice-sama," Tipler spoke to her psionic girl. "Tell me, are you willing to put your own life on the line?"

Alice spat out a gush of water and choked before answering.

"W-What? What are you talking about!?"

"In this mission, you'll be facing great dangers ahead of you. Chances are you'll have to risk your own life if you want to save the world. If that ever happens, would be willing to accept your fate, even knowing your death is inevitable?"

"What you mean by that, Tipler? When did I ever thought about dying?"

"But if you were-"

"Listen, little rabbit," Alice eyed with an annoyed face. "I have no intention of going down quietly, nor do I insist on dying anyway. I got a lot to live for, so if there's someone trying to kill me, I bash its face right in! I shall live, and live as a free woman, and there's nothing that'll ever change that!"

Tipler sighed once again as he hopped away from the river. Perhaps Alice was still a wild card after all.

"Besides," Alice continued. "I have my Psionics. What could possibly ever go wrong?"

Just when she said that a bright light shone in front of their faces. Alice covered to her eyes to protect them from the glare, but Tipler had no intention of doing that. After starting at it the first time, he was already too paralyzed to anything about it.

"It's…It's…."

"What is it, Tipler?"

"It's...them!"

"What are you talking about? You're saying this is the portal you've come through-"

In the middle of Alice's talk, a giant wolf-like monster jumped out of the portal and straight towards Alice. The Psionic girl dashed out the way with her abilities before landing hard onto the ground. She could already feel the pain coming from her legs due to the rough landing. For the first time, Alice heavily breathed over what looked like a sudden death. It was due to her instincts that she managed to jump away safely.

As the wolf monster made a soft landing, it turned slowly around toward her prey. Apparently, it was not concerned with Alice by any means. Instead, it was focused on Tipler, who was left paralyzed by the monsters, especially their growling.

"Tipler?" Alice called the Murlock as the wolf creature jumped towards him. "Tipler!"

Using her powers, Alice rockets towards the animal before it could reach the helpless bunny creature.

"Have some of this!"

Taking her right hand, she accumulated a conflagration of fire in her fist. Before Tipler could be eaten, she gave the monster a punch in the face, triggering a massive explosion to the being's head. Although it did not blast its head to gore like she expected, it still smashed its jaw and threw it towards a nearby tree before it died with a whimper.

As Alice sighed, she turned to Tipler as he recovered from the paralysis. Alice teased him with a handwave to his face.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Y-Yes, thank you, Alice-sama."

"My pleasure," Alice then went over to the dead beast. "So...these are the creatures you were talking about, huh?"

"Not exactly. These Hunterbeasts are the Vilag's ground attack dogs. Because they cannot simply kill other people with Psionics, they have others do the hunting and killing for them."

"You sure must be scared of them."

"That because they're a combination of many different animals. The roars of those creatures are so powerful any Murlock beneath freezes upon their arrival. Even when far away, the moment they spot us, there is nothing we can do to move in their presence."

"Well, they sure don't scare me," Alice spoke a half-truth over the encounter. "Attack dogs or not, I'm not letting these things get the best of me!"

"I'm afraid it won't be that easy," Tipler stared back at the gate.

Six more Hunterbeasts then emerged from the same portal. One by one, they went into a formation as they spotted their two targets. The portal closed behind them just after the last one got into position. Alice smirked as she eyed on the pursuing beasts before her.

"Well," Alice took Tipler and stored her in her fanny pack before manifesting wind and flames. "Let's see how hard they hit then!"

The first Hunterbeast leaped forward against the Psionic girl, who responded with an explosion of smoke. The Hunterbeast stopped for a moment to sense where Alice went, taking him upward to the sky. From there, Alice was already preparing her next move at a position they could reach, at least from her perspective.

Alice started by creating small fireballs before throwing them at the giant beasts. The monsters dodged her attacks, although she got lucky with one that impacted a creature's head. The Hunterbeasts responded by hardening their hairs before shooting them like needles into the sky. Alice defended herself with the guts of wind that deflected and circled the shots around her. She then returned fire with a hail of their own needles to fend off her attackers.

As one of the Hunterbeasts got blinded by Alice's attack, she charged in smashed the creature in the face. She didn't realize it the first time, that these beasts had skulls as hard as steel, making her wonder who could make these creatures so strong. It hurt her hand just to kill the thing, but it wasn't so much she had to stop fighting.

As another Hunterbeast attempted to pounce her from behind, she grabbed hold of its paws before manifesting more heat from her hands. As her hands became very hot, the creature was forced to let go before Alice blew it away with a strong gust of wind. She then repelled two more incoming Hunterbeasts by frying one creature's skull with a fireball between the eyes and then uppercutting the other from the underbelly.

As the remaining three Hunterbeasts growled, they fired more spikes toward Alice, causing her to evade the shower of steel prickles. Although they hit nothing vital, the shots that grazed her gave some significant cuts on her skin, causing her to cover her wounds. However, she wasn't going to go down that easily. As the last three Hunterbeasts went for another shower, Alice responded by raising her arms into the air, created that bright flash of light that blinded Tipler and the three creatures around her. With the Hunterbeasts left to cover their eyes with their paws, Alice used the opportunity to attack.

By using her wind powers, she ripped the next shower of needles straight off of the Hunterbeasts' hides before surrounding herself with them. The beasts themselves were pulled forward and were left rolling the backs in pain. Alice then finished it with a large dust devil, using the needles and sharp cuts of wind to repeatedly attack the down creatures in numerous directions. By the time the attack passed, the Hunterbeasts were already a few meters into the air, covered in severe cuts that left them dead a long time ago.

Alice calmed herself the moment she touched the ground. Moments later, Tipler popped out of the bag and found all the monsters dead. His eyes widened over how much power Alice accumulated just by her proclaimed self-learning.

"Huh, didn't think they'd be as tough as this," Alice said to herself before kneeling to the ground. "Of course, it's nothing I can handle."

"Are you okay, Alice-sama?"

"I'm fine...I've dealt with injuries like this before…"

Alice barely maintained consciousness as she held herself up with one hand. Tipler approached to assist her.

"Don't push yourself, Alice-sama. Remember that there'll be more where those came from. If you fall now, there'll be nothing to save the future."

"So, these things really are threatening everyone…"

"Didn't I tell you? You are the key to everyone's future. If you really want to live your life free, then you have to live and get stronger as you progress."

"Guess that's something we can agree with, eh?" Alice calmed down as her wounds started healing. She took a knee and eventually a step. "Okay, I'll play along with you. Besides, I don't intend to go down just like this."

Tipler nodded as Alice still recovered from her wounds. As part of some who came from the Vilag, her Psionic powers and human evolution should give some sort of self-healing abilities. However, the wounds she just received are too much for a quick recovery.

"We should find you a place to rest first. Sleeping here is not a good idea; there could be more Hunterbeasts coming."

"The capital of Westria should be near. Let's start heading there and see what we can find."

"As you say, Alice-sama."

The two then proceeded down the river, unaware that other guests nearby are heading towards the same destination.

* * *

Finé and Hermann were also by the river as they treated their wounded comrade dying from his wounds.

"Hang in there, Tobias!"

"Where are you...princess?"

"Don't worry, she right here," Hermann assured.

"I'm here. It's all thanks to you."

"Princess...save...our country."

"I will, even if it costs me my life!"

Just as when Finé made her pledge, it was already too late. Tobias's eyes went white and he eyelids closed down. Hermann shook over the futility of trying to save his life, while Finé held back her tears.

"I can't worry about it now. The meeting with the Britannian ambassador is tomorrow." The princess stood up as she headed to the nearby city. "I'll make it to Albringen, even it kills me. We need to spur the Allies into action!"

Finé then proceeded with Hermann following close behind. She could not afford to turn back now. Her whole country depended on her negotiations with the Allied forces. And for her, the world outright demanded their action.

* * *

 _So that's the first Episode featuring our new protagonist. It's short, I know, but that's how I intended to go with this fic. I want to practice my writing so I don't have to write so much just to not get far with the story._

 _That said, the next Episode is going to be cut into three parts due to how much of the story I'll have to cover along the way. This'll still remain label an Izetta x Strike Witches story as I go about the first ten or so Episodes._

 _Either way, hope you enjoyed the read._


	3. Episode 2-1

_So here's the start of Episode 2, before any fighting takes place._

* * *

The streets of Albringen were not as bustling as Alice has hoped. By seeing the sign to the capital of Westria, Alice expected something more. That night, she slept on a tree while using Tipler as a pillow, much to his discomfort. She was wanted to get an early start on whatever activities she expected to appear. However, the environment was...disappointing to say the least.

"Agghh, this is frustrating!"

"Alice-sama," Tipler remained hidden in her pack as she walked down an alley.

"I swear that even the tiniest of villages of Liberion always had something going on in the middle of the day. The silence of this place is already giving me a headache!"

"Please, quiet down, Alice-sama. Besides, you must be aware that we're in constant danger no matter where we go. Anyone around could be the enemy."

"I know, I know! Still, the place could be a little livelier than it is."

"I don't think it's that simple," Tipler argued. "The people here are not very comfortable. They're all worried about something. Something they fear will befall upon them, no matter the neutrality."

"You mean like the Neuroi?"

"The Neuroi?"

"Those black objects that are attacking humanity without any reason, or rather they're just incapable of it. The only ones they haven't attacked are those goons up in Germania."

As she finished, several vehicles drove past them as they nearly exited the alleyway. A black car with several trucks behind it had the symbolic diagonal cross with a dagger replacing one of its arms. A Germanian soldier ordered in his respective language to the people at a crosswalk that was blocking the convoy.

"Well, speak of the devil," Alice snarked. "Even in a neutral nation, they act like they are the king of the house."

"They do not sound like good people," Tipler agreed. "I overheard some people talking about them invading a nearby state south of us."

"Eylstadt has always been a nation Germania has hoped to seize for some reason even I don't understand. Why should such a tiny nation be all that important to a mighty empire?"

"Perhaps there's someone or..something that they want?"

"I don't know. It's not like I read any of this place's legends or anything like that! Such things are irrelevant to me."

"Even with the existence of so-called Witches?"

"Yeah, even that!"

"Then, there must be something around that intrigues them. For what I've read on this world's map, Eylstadt borders east of the country. Perhaps they're somehow connected?"

Alice sighed as the Germanian convoy went by and started shrinking in the distance. However, she was more frustrated that their journey- or rather _her_ journey- was getting nowhere. Should this be a time she took a more active approach?

"Well, it's not like staying around here is any better," Alice tightened her fanny pack.

"W-What are you doing, Alice-sama?"

"I think we're going to play a little follow the leader here. We'll just have to follow those cars without them noticing. Hold on!"

Alice then covered her pack, forcing Tipler inside so he didn't fall out. As the Germanian convoy was barely in the distance, Alice went out of the alley, leaning on the nearby walls and trees to secretly pursue.

* * *

In the middle of Westria's capital laid a large theatre hall. The Germanic play of _Die Zauberflöte_ was playing in the center of the concert. The audience watched from the main floor and three-story balconies. On the third level of the hall was an old Britannian man who enjoyed the fine scenery around himself as he listened to the villain of the opera. He was then distracted by the door opening beside him.

"Sorry for interrupting your evening."

Finé walked in with a royal purple dress. Lord Redford opened his arms in welcome to the princess of Eylstadt.

"Why, you have become so beautiful! I can see why Prince Henry is quite taken of you. You simply look dazzling, Princess Finé."

"And you're as skilled at flattery as ever, Lord Redford."

"His Highness was moved by the letter you sent," the Britannian man bowed before her. "And how is your father?"

"No need to worry about him. He's slowly recovering and should be fine in a matter of days."

"I see. I was worried when I was told that the Archduke was bedridden, but it seems like I was wrong about him."

"So it seems."

Inside, she sighed as she pulled off what was a lie. Her straight face was enough to appraise the Britannian ambassador before him.

"You're going to be an excellent leader someday."

"I am honored, Lord Redford."

"Now then, shall we get to the discussion?"

Finé walked to the seat across from Lord Redford. As the play continued in the background, the two went straight to the main topic. The Britannian noble started while facing partially away from Finé.

"Now, it pains me to say this, but it will be very difficult to send another expedition to mainland Europe. We suffered heavy losses in our last defeat. The damage in the struggle against the Neuroi was too great."

"What about the special Witch divisions stationed there? Shouldn't the 501st you have established nearby reach our nation without any problem?"

"I'm afraid Marshal Maloney is too busy with such matters, just like all of its members. The Neuroi attacks have increased on our mainland, and all the major officers are either off helping the Karsland movement or have gone as far as Fuso for reinforcements."

Finé paused for the moment. With the damage to Britannia and the Witch divisions not available, she needed to play all the cards she had.

"You once tried to entice our country's Einberger Corporation to move to Britannia, didn't you?"

"Eylstadt's manufacturers of precision machinery are very appealing. However, they all staunchly refused to betray the nation and Archduke that brought them this far."

"Of course, they are all very loyal men. Therefore, if they were taken that Britannia has done its best to aid Eylstadt, they would be more than eager to repay you."

"Hmm, that would be very appealing indeed," Lord Redford considered. "But that won't be enough to convince Parliament or the public to take action."

"In that case, what if Eylstadt became the homeland to the heir of the throne, who would later become the wife of Prince Henry? Would Parliament and your nation's people not be willing to send troops to the continent then?"

Finé's best card made even Lord Redford jump in awe.

"You mean…"

"I know I declined before, but I'd like to accept Prince Henry's hand in marriage."

"And give up your claim to the Archduke's throne?"

"My cousin, Leonora, is with child. I will entrust the future of the family to them."

Lord Redford sighed over the impression of the princess's skill on the negotiation table. He staunchly gave his comments to Finé's bold taking to the future of her title.

"Princess, you truly are natural-born girl worthy of your title. You're willing to sacrifice yourself for the best interests of your country truly has moved me."

As Finé sighed over how well the negotiations were going, that when Lord Redford's smile when upside down. The sight of Redford's new face gave her a whiplash in the mood.

"However, that just makes this all the more sad."

"What do you mean?"

"Princess, if there was just a little more time...if only you had come a little sooner...then I would have most certainly accepted your offer. But no matter what conditions you propose, it's too late now...we can not help you anymore."

The nearby door slammed open, alerting the stunned princess and Britannian ambassador.

"Princess!"

Hermann was repeatedly shot to death by several bullets. His corpse leaned on the bloodstained door to Finé's horror.

"Hermann!"

The doors then slammed open as Germanian soldiers stormed the balcony. The commander, distinguished by his smug look and golden gun equipped with a silencer, entered the room to see the princess.

"Looks like the Princess is here after all."

Finé smirked as she faced Lord Redford.

"Was this your doing?"

"N-No," Lord Redford shook his head before slumping. "Not that I expect you to believe me."

"The Britannian dog here is out of the question," the Germanian commander set the Britannian aside. "The great Germanian Empire's spy network was simply superior, that is all. We would have shared you the news long before he would."

"What news!?"

"You sure have been far away from your country for too long," the officer stepped towards the princess. "Germanian forces crossed the Eylstadt's borders more than two hours ago. The invasion of your precious little country has already begun!"

Finé gave a glare as the Germanian was inches away from her. He poked his gun at the princess's face as he gave unwelcoming compliments.

"You are beautiful as they say. The Emperor would be pleased when he knows that we took you in."

"What do you intend to do with me?"

"Well, for starters, you shall accompany us on our way back to Neu-Berlin."

Two Germanian soldiers grabbed Finé's arms as they escorted her silently out of the room. The door then closed behind them, leaving only the Britannian noble behind. The whole incident concluded without a single disturbance to the play below. Yet, the man had no time to listen, only pitying what has occurred before the princess and her nation.

* * *

In the more deforested areas of Westria, Germanian forces have occupied the nearby airfield. A few Bf-109s by the aircraft hangers were spinning their propellers for their inevitable takeoff. The other side was a column of tanks and supply trucks carrying troops. A couple of black cars were by in front of a few more supply trucks that trailed behind.

Outside of the Germanian-occupied airbase, Alice leaned on the rocks, observing the soldiers loading up on the transport aircraft. Tipler was standing on the rocks to get a closer view. Both of them only had a few trees and bushes approaching in the way to remain hidden.

"So, the Germanians have settled here as well."

"Of course, they do," Alice tried to keep her loudmouth as quiet as possible. "They always have some base even in the middle of neutral territory. How else do they maintain vast control of this European continent without obstruction?"

"And they brought these mechanical giants and flying monsters in here with them."

"Those giants are called tanks, and those flying machines are planes. From what I've read, they look like fighter planes to me."

Tipler only sighed over having to process all that information. Even in this day and age, the world here feels so much more complicated than he can handle.

"You say come from the future and yet you have no idea what a plane or tank is?"

"I come from a very different period, Alice-sama. Please apologize for not knowing much details."

"The future you come from must be awful then."

"Indeed, the world we come is...unsettling. If you wish, I can tell you everything that's at stake-"

"Shh," Alice pointed her finger at his mouth.

"Alice-sama?"

Alice shushed him again as a car stopped nearby. The duo hid behind the rock as they opened their ears for their conversation. They heard the voices of two Germanians leaving their vehicle.

"So the coffin is being transported by air from here?"

Ricket allowed Berkmann to exit on his side as he faced the truck behind them.

"The folks at the workshop tell me that even though it wasn't for long, the fact it was opened means there's no telling what's going to happen later. They recommended that we send it to the Imperial Capital as soon as possible."

"Is it true? That she wiped out an entire military company on her own?"

"I can't tell you. But His Majesty is rather a big fan of the legend, and it was our job to investigate."

Alice raised an eyebrow over the news. Tipler took a quick peek at the two men as Berkman continued.

"Besides, if it were true, wouldn't it be a little...romantic?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind, my mouth slipped for a moment," Berkman shook his head as he faced the transport plane. "In any case, once we have the second cargo here, the plane will be taking off."

"Second cargo?"

"We just got the intel from our nearby contacts. The princess of Eylstadt has been captured. They'll be transporting her onto the same plane as the coffin to Neue-Berlin."

"But why? Wouldn't that be-"

"I'm not sure myself. The fact she opened that coffin will increase the risk in some ways. But if I were to guess, it's to use her use as a coverup if something wrong happened along the way."

"A coverup?"

"By all means, His Majesty demands that should we find the Eylstadt's Witch, then we should make every attempt to capture and transport her as quickly as possible, without anyone noticing its importance. What do you think the reporters would say if they found out we were transporting a little girl of immense power, rather than a princess of a nation that's close to no longer existing?"

"I-I understand."

"We can't drag our feet around here. Besides, our original task is already completed. Since the officers told me that they'd be ready to take off in about two hours, let's make sure we leave before then."

As Berkmann and Rickert went off to another plane, Tipler went closer to Alice while she hid back behind the rock.

"Eylstadt's Witch?"

"Does this surprise you, Alice-sama?"

"Y-Yeah, I never knew that Eylstadt had a Witch. From all the world news I've seen, it's one of the few countries that never enlisted a Witch into their military. Or perhaps, they don't want to."

"This Witch sounds like she is a dangerous threat. Do you think she may have something to do with why Germania is invading?"

"Don't ask me; I'm not the expert in European myths here!"

"Then what about the princess? Could she have something to do with this?"

"I don't think it's that," Alice paused for the moment. As the Bf 109s started to take off, she gave off a mischievous smirk. "Of course, that doesn't mean I mind a little rescue mission..."

"What are you planning to do?"

"You'll see. Simply put, in a few hours, we're gonna save ourselves a little princess…"

* * *

 _Again, sorry for the short chapter. It's just inevitable considering how I organize the larger chapters. The next one is going to be pretty huge since it covers the entire battle for Chapter 2._

 _Either way, hope enjoyed the short read._


	4. Episode 2-2

_Alright, now it's time for the next section of this chapter. I apologize for it taking this long. Besides class and such, I also had a problem with my computer that erased much of my progress on this story the first time around. But now, all of that's out of the way, and I can focus on this story one chapter at a time. Therefore, you should except my stories to churn a few chapters a week._

 _In the meantime, I'll be introducing something new in my stories. At the beginning of each chapter, I will share a soundtrack of songs worth listening to while reading the fic. I'll mark on the fic in_ _ **(BOLD)**_ _anything related to the music tracks._

#1- Shuumatsu no Izetta OST- Izetta Theme

* * *

Near the border between Westria and Eylstadt were the Alps, a line of mountains beautifully frozen tops and surrounded by forests. The entire region remained harmonious at it had been…until now.

One squadron of Germanian fighter planes flew over the nearby Alps. The leader of the planes had a golden nose and stripes in contrast with the green colors on the ordinary ones. That plane was the one owned by Captain Bassler, who flew across the Alps from the Germanian border.

"Squad leader to all planes. Once we pass the mountains in front of us, we'll be in Eylstadt airspace."

Bassler gave out orders to his fighter squadron as they responded.

"Roger. It's strange why we haven't beaten such a small country at this point in the war. So much for the army and their blitzkrieg, huh?"

The captain ignored the chatter as he focused on the steering. Even the slightest distraction could send him plunging to his death.

Despite that, there was a loud explosion heard from inside the cockpit. It wasn't loud, but it was enough for him to hear it. Worse, it sounded very close.

"What's that? On our 9!"

Bassler kept his cool and remained calm on the steering. He tilted his head to investigate the source of the explosion. From his eyes, several Germanian fighter planes were confronting something. Eylstadt had an air force for certain, but reconnaissance showed no enemy planes. It didn't look like a training exercise either. Besides being too close to enemy borders, they were using live ammunition and did not focus on each other. Rather they opened fire on something else, something smaller than a plane as Bassler could see.

A small spark of fire shot out from an unknown assailant. The next thing he knew, one of the Me-109 fighters burst exploded with a burning fuselage and both wings broken off.

"Whoa, did you just see that!?"

One of the pilots jumped at the sudden battle going on. Even Bassler startled over this sudden attack. He radioed to his entire squadron.

"All planes follow my lead! We are moving to intercept the enemy!"

With that, the Bf 109 planes flew in the direction of the battle, not knowing who or what their opponent was.

* * *

Elsewhere, a twin-engine plane was also near the Alps. Unlike most of the Germanian planes that entered Eylstadt territory, this one was only making a small pass about the invaded nation.

Fine remained in between two Germanian soldiers that flanked both sides. The Commander who captured her was the back seat of the cargo section refining his golden gun.

"This plane model isn't as refined as it could be. Please forgive us if the ride is little bumpy. It won't last long."

Fine was less uncomfortable about the ride than her role as a prisoner. To keep her mind off, she observed the equipment within the plane. Most of them were experimental small-arms weapons as big as an anti-tank rifle. But the one that stood out the most was her the human-sized capsule. It was the same capsule she found back on Westria, the one the piqued her interest for some reason.

"Interested in this equipment? These are all important secrets to the Germanian military. In a sense, so are you."

The Germanian officer aimed his gun at the princess, who merely looked away.

"All I ask is a little forgiveness. This isn't the most elegant of decor."

The officer then got out of his seat. He approached the window opposite of Fine and observed the action. Explosions of anti-air bombardment sprinkled the sky as Me-109s and Stuka dive bombers flew overhead. The bombers in question struck various targets on Eylstadt's defensive line, particularly artillery emplacements and anti-air batteries. The tanks and platoons of soldiers continued to press on after that.

"We should be crossing the Eylstadt border right now."

That's when Fine responded.

"And how's the war?"

"They still seem to continue putting up resistance. It's useless. No matter how much they try, it won't be long before they fall."

Fine smirked at the Germanian officer, knowing her people would not give up so easily.

"I'm not so sure about that. My citizens are quite tenacious from what I understand. They won't give up so easily."

The Germanian officer chuckled back as he approached the princess."

"Perhaps not. But they continue their resistance, their beloved princess will perish."

Fine's smug smile immediately turn into a glare. By hearing those words, she figured out what their plan was as the officer continued.

"Tell me, what if they found that their princess has been held prisoner or even executed on Germanian grounds?"

"You're planning to use me as a political hostage!"

"What I'm saying is only hypothetical," the officer continued as he poked his gun that the princess's face. "Besides, you're one gorgeous young lady who's also the princess of Eylstadt. There are other ways we can do to you besides that. Many more other ways."

The princess glared as she tried to look away, especially with the stuck at her face. A few seconds later, something else happened. The shaking was far more intense than normal. It felt like the whole plane was starting to fall. The soldiers and Fine were thrown off the seats as the plane struggled to regain control.

* * *

Above the mountainous region, Alice was facing off against three Germanian 109s that circled her. She just took down her second fighter plane, but now found herself surrounded with no idea who will attack next.

"This did not sound like a good idea, Alice-sama!"

Tipler screamed within the pouch. Originally, they planned to trail the plane that carried the princess after she got onboard. Tipler found it fine if they could find a place to ambush them at an appropriate time. What he did not expect next was Alice cruising ahead of the cargo plane. Things got more complicated when she ascended from the forest, which allowed the Germanian planes to spot her easily. And they did, with an entire wing coming after them.

Alice managed to take out one by striking it from the bottom with her explosive punch and striking back against another with her spark-like attack. It was reckless, but she still found herself up to a good start.

"We were going to face the Germanians sooner or later. Why not face them now while we had the chance?"

Tipler groans distracted her from seeing the plane coming from behind. Only the loud noise from the propeller made her turn back and barely avoid the gunfire. With her two hands igniting fire like rockets to propel herself, she managed to keep her body hovering in midair, giving her superior mobility against the Germanian planes.

As the enemy plane passed by, Alice quieted the Murlock in her pouch.

"Just be quiet for now. We'll worry about transport after we take out these planes."

As Alice finished talking, another plane came from her left side. She launched herself upward to avoid the bullets. They were inches away from each other with pilot watching Alice just before shooting another spark of flame. Her attack smashed the plane's tail section off as it plummeted to the ground.

The remaining two planes faced her from opposite sides. Both fired their guns, but Alice quickly sank to avoid the fire. The planes were careful enough not to hit each other should they fail and strafed on opposite sides to avoid a collision.

However, Alice accelerated upward with her power with immense force, pulling the pouch very tightly on her waist with Tipler pressing on her chest. She then stopped her propulsion and drifted in midair. From there, she spun around as gusts of wind manifested around her. The pilots were distracted by her magical ability as she eyed on them as well. She then threw a slash of wind against one of the planes. Despite being made of compressed air, the force was enough to cut through steel just as how it horizontally split the plane in two. She threw another one vertically at the other plane but missed, only to throw another one that hit its nose.

As the last plane plummeted to the ground, Alice rested herself in the air as she reignited her fire abilities to keep herself afloat. She had her doubts, but considering her fight against those Hunterbeasts from before, which were as strong as steel, she had confidence in her ability.

"Well, that was easy enough."

The dizzy Tipler opened the bag and held onto the trimmings to regain his balance. He held onto the outside of the pouch, then back upward when she could see clearly again. Alice now faced in another direction as they heard another plane. This one was different from the noise from its engines, plus it had two of them.

Alice was certain that this was the same plane from before. From what she heard, the Germanians wanted to escort the princess and supposedly dangerous cargo as fast as possible. There was no other fastest way possible other than a straight line between his location and Germania. That was why she was certain that they could easily find again after getting ahead.

"See, I knew we would find it eventually. And we'll be right here when they encounter us."

"Wait a minute, Alice-sama. Something does not feel right."

"What is it?"

Alice eyed on the cargo plane as it suddenly stopped moving. It returned to normal again after a few seconds, but they knew what caused it was not normal. From their point of view, they found many sparkles of green manifesting around the plane, as if something inside was gathering it.

* * *

Inside the plane, Fine found herself at gunpoint by the Germanian officer and his men. During the heavy shaking, the soldiers were thrown into the air. Fine used to opportunity to headbutt her opponent and take his gun. However, the officer struck back before she fired. The bullet grazed her arm before the officer tossed her to the side. Fine landed hard by the capsule. When she recovered, she found herself threatened by all three men.

"That's enough! You may be a tomboy, but you're still just a bird in a cage. If you misbehave anymore, we'll snap your neck, and then it will be all over."

"Then do it!"

The Germanian officer laughed over her request.

"You'd really choose death over being a hostage? Is that what a princess who carries the burdens of her people should do?"

Fine raised her arms into the as she declared.

"It's true that it's my people that keep me alive. My life exists because of their love for me. If they've taken up arms and are risking their lives in battle, then I shall fight with them to the last, until the last drop of blood is spilled in the name of my family's honor. For I am Fine, First Princess of Eylstadt and its next archduchess, Ortfiné "Finé" Fredericka von Eylstadt!"

 **(1)**

Before the officer decided to shoot, however, another event happened. Countless sparkles of yellow and green lights manifested and surrounded the inside of the cargo area. They enveloped the entire plane as they converged onto the capsule behind Fine.

The Germanian did not fire as they figured out what was happening. Fine also eyed onto the capsule as began leaking energy and hovered in midair. Then the whole container burst apart, releasing a great light that blinded everyone.

"What!?"

The Germanians covered their eyes from the bright green glow that shone before them. The captive princess also turned around towards the glow, raising her hand to shield her eyes. She found herself too weak. The wound on her arm took its toll, and she kneeled to avoid collapse. But didn't need to cover her eyes, for who she discovered surprise more than anything.

"What….it can't be...Izetta?"

The young red-haired girl in a patient's uniform awoke from her sleep. Her narrow vision searched for whoever called out her name. She swore that it sounded familiar.

"Princess?"

As Fine laid onto the ground, she recalled memories of the girl. The first time she saw her, she chased her little dog to her grandmother's cabin when she saw the same sparkles of light. After following the trial, she peeked by a tree to discover the little girl, dancing around on her broom and playing with inanimate objects that seemed to be levitating around her. The young girl jumped upon noticing Fine.

Those memories put a smile on the princess as she collapsed.

"I must be dreaming...Is it really you...my little…Witch..."

Izetta slowly regained her vision as she discovered Izetta collapsing. She noticed the wound on her arm, which sent her wide awake.

"PRINCESS!"

All the energy converged onto Izetta. The entire inside of the plane flashed as mass amounts of energy were released.

* * *

Alice and Tipler froze as they witnessed the cargo plane exploding in mid-air. They noticed energy converging to the inside of the plane, which likely caused the large sphere of explosive energy that split the machine into two.

"What was that!?"

As a being who only knew about Psionics, this was a bizarre occurrence for Tipler. He could not help but ask such a question. The sudden startled even Alice, who was used to seeing strange thing occurring from Witches. But there was also the mention of something dangerous being transported into the cargo bay. If that's the case, then the princess might be in danger.

"I don't know, but we better save our princess before she falls to her death."

"Yes, but…wait, Alice-sama. There's something there."

Tipler eyed on the trail of green sparkles that left the rear section of the plane. It looked like someone was flying…on a rifle no less, and she was descending to the ground.

"Is that…the princess?"

"No, but let's not what to find out. Let's go!"

By that time, Alice cruised down towards the trail of light. She accelerated with her palms while Tipler hind into the pouch and held on.

The trial of sparkles came from Izetta, who grabbed an anti-tank rifle for the plane's cargo. After enveloping the rifle with her magic, she rode on it as if it were a broom and chased after Izetta. She nearly got knocked off a few times to avoid the falling debris. Once she was clear, she made her descent and pursued the wounded princess.

As she approached Fine, she regained consciousness, which showed Izetta that she was alright. The witch turned her rifle to the side as she descended almost as the same speed as her.

"Princess, your hand!"

Izetta reached out to Fine, who in turn raised her own hand. Both were out of range, unable to grab onto each other until the last minute. She pulled the overjoyed princess onto the rifle and into her lap. By then, she decelerated as hard as she could. They were close to a large tree branch that they were set for collision.

However, a large burst of flame came that incinerated the branch. Izetta brought her weaponized broom to a sudden halt, which nearly caused Fine to fall off. The witch grabbed her hand again and pulled her back on to have a steadier hold on the rifle. While Fine leaned on Izetta to recover, much to the witch's luminescent blushing, she raised her head to find her sudden guests.

Instead of Germanian forces, she found a long-haired girl who was shooting fire from her palms to get herself in midair. When she descended enough to move the sun out of the way, she found the blonde girl with an army-green pouch by her waist. While Izetta remained cautious over the new arrivals of whom she never saw before, the girl chuckled in a happy-go-lucky nature.

"Hehehe, it looks like the princess did not need our help after all."

Izetta was still unsure if this girl was her ally or not.

"W-Who are you?"

"Don't worry. We heard that the princess was captured. As someone who wants to be a knight in shining armor herself, how could I refuse?"

"I…"

"Are we okay now, Alice-sama?"

The Tipler came out of the pouch, which surprised Izetta. Fine heard both voices but was too tired to see what was going on. Another thing that Izetta never saw before, a talking rabbit-like creature with floppy ears and speaking a language she could understand.

"What's going on here? Who are you two?"

"We can talk later. For now, let's get out of the woods together, and then we can talk."

As the young witch nodded, she trailed behind the Psionic girl. It was not too close since Izetta wanted to avoid the flames coming from her hands, but enough for them to keep close. Fine wrapped her arms comfortably around Izetta. Despite know the princess, this felt too close that she started to shake.

"Izetta...it's really you…"

Alice turned around to see the two girls interacting with each other. The two were awfully close to one another as Fine.

"Your power is really amazing, and that's what just saved me. Thank you, Izetta."

Izetta's eyes tears as she shook her head.

"I-I'm not worthy of your gratitude!"

"Izetta, look out!"

Alice yelled from afar as she ascended. Izetta snapped her focus back in her direction, where a mountain of the wintery Alps greeted them. The witch panicked as she pulled her rifle upward to avoid a collision. They continue to follow alongside Alice, who's fire abilities were melting the snow underneath her. The Psionic girl ascended a little more to avoid melting the snow, in case the witch and her princess fell off and needed something soft to land.

"Sorry! I was so happy that I wasn't paying attention…"

Alice almost chuckled over the near misfortune between the girls. It's clear that these were gone for some time. But the Murlock in her pouch has a different concern.

"Y-Your...Your Highness!"

Tipler noticed the wound on Fine's arm. Fine noticed how the talking critter in Alice's pouch, but limped forward from the injury. Izetta also noticed the princess's injury herself as her own arm got covered in blood.

"Don't worry about it. Compared to the worst possible outcome, this injury is nothing."

Alice thought otherwise, as did Izetta herself. With the amount of blood loss, she clearly needed some attention. As the passed the mountain, Alice slowed down and started descending onto the ground.

"Let's stop on the ground somewhere. Maybe we can find some place to treat you."

When Alice noticed Izetta not following her, she turned to see the princess pointing upward.

"Wait until we reach the mountain first. There's an Eylstadt fortress up top there."

Just when Alice was about to nod, another disturbance came from behind them. Tipler took cover as Alice peeked behind. A gold-nosed plane passed by the two pairs as they nearly dodged the attack.

"And you forgot to mention the planes!"

Fine turned to Alice after hearing Tipler's warning.

"Friends of yours?"

"Heck, no! These guys were the ones we were fighting to get you!"

"To get me?"

Tipler poked his head out for just a moment as he explained.

"We heard that you and Izetta were in that plane to go this Germania place. Alice-sama suggested that we wait for an ambush, but…"

Alice faced the other planes on her right.

"Looks like we countered a patrol along the way."

Fine glared at the enemy planes as they found themselves surrounded. Alice herself was increasing output on her left hand to keep herself steady while preparing the other for combat.

Captain Bassler circled away from the mountains as he observed the two magical pairs. His pilots conversed with him as they found their sudden assailants.

"Is that the enemy!? Captain, it looks like just a few girls in mid-air, with two flying on a big rifle."

"They sure do. Hold your fire until I give the word."

Alice charged what looked a wind spell as she felts guts of wind circling her right hand. She was not sure if Izetta was capable of combat, although she just downed that plane with an explosion. She turned to the witch and asked.

"Izetta, are you sure can fight…Izetta?"

Alice and Fine noticed Izetta having a large virtual crystal within her own hand. Maybe it was stone of energy, but Alice wasn't sure for herself. In actuality, the stone was Izetta checking the amount of mana in the region.

After seeing the Germanian fighter planes, the witch suffered horrific flashbacks over what happened. Until a few months ago, Izetta lived in a small village within the Galian region. It was one of the only few areas that weren't affected by the Neuroi, perhaps due to little or no human activity. They were a friendly community althought she kept her power a secret from them. But then, the Germanians invaded, displaying the same sigil she recognized. With Galia devastated and Paris falling to the Neuroi, the Germanians took over the unaffected regions and began their conquest. That community of which she lived in suffered the worst, with every man, woman, and child killed in front of her. The last resident, the owner who took her in, was executed right in front of her very eyes. That was the last straw for her as she unleashed her wrath on the Empire before wearing out and being captured by the enemy.

But that won't happen again, not with Fine around. She noticed the large virtual stone at the palm of her hand was throbbing with power, enough for her to fight. She clenched her fist as if she tried grabbing the illusionary stone and turned to Fine.

"Princess, this is going to hurt a bit. Can ask you to endure this a bit more?"

"Izetta, what are you doing?"

Alice wasn't sure what she was planning to do. But Fine was, which startled her.

"But you're not supposed to use your power so recklessly…"

"I believe my grandma would allow me to use my power if it's to protect the things I care about."

What Izetta said was partially a lie. Her grandma warned her never to use her powers at all. If she were to do so, people would find out. Perhaps the moment the Germanians captured was supposed to be a warning of what happened. But none of that mattered anymore. So many lives were lost because she was so inactive, always keep her power to herself. She can't let that happen again.

 _Grandma...forgive me for disobeying what you just said._

"Izetta?"

Alice remained confused over what happened. But Izetta said nothing as she touched her rifle.

"Here we go."

The witch unexpectedly accelerated past Alice. Now the Psionic girl and her companion were falling behind them.

"Izetta, where are you going!? Izetta, wait up!"

Alice ditched her wind spell to focus on speed. She accelerated with both hands to catch up to the witch. They headed for the snowy regions at the bottom, towards another set of mountains.

The other planes pursued, with two leading in front of Bassler. They opened fire on the girl against his orders.

"You idiots! I told you to hold fire!"

Alice used her extreme mobility to dodge the machinegun fire from the Me 109. She barrel-rolled over the line of fire to the other side of the plane. Afterward, she retaliated with a large spark of flame that impacted the fighters in the nose. The entire fuselage burst into flames as the entire plane came crashing down.

Bassler jerked over the sudden attack. No wonder how such a small target could take down an entire plane squadron. The other squadmate in front of him cursed the same.

"They can do this at over 400 kilometers an hour!? Damn monsters!"

"Don't get so hotheaded, you whelps! Just focus on catching up to them!"

Alice increased her speed once more to catch up to Izetta. At the point, they were already close to the next range of mountains. Alice checked on Tipler, who was still holding onto the pouch as best she can. She then turned to Izetta, who also checked on Fine.

"Are you okay, Princess?"

"When I saw you flying all those years ago, I wanted to fly with you someday. I just never thought it would come true like this."

 _Her breath is becoming hot…_

Fine may be stable for now, but her wound still needed some treatment. There no telling how long she'll last, especially in a cold environment like this.

She turned Alice on her left and called to her.

"Get away from the mountains!"

Alice noticed her fire melting the snow again. She wasn't sure what the witch planned to do, but it surely meant she needed the snow. She complied as she did another barrel roll, making Tipler dizzy within her pouch. She and Izetta luckily avoided another set of gunfire from the enemy planes. Alice responded by slowing down and throw a few more sparks that grazed another plane before breaking its left wing, causing it to crash.

With Alice out of the way, Izetta found herself ready to unleash her powers. The witch bit her finger, then spread the resulting blood onto the snow. Another plane closed in on the two pairs, ready to fire at the witch. As it approached the bloodstains, she shouted as if she were talking to them.

"Come out, now!"

As she pulled a fist of snow, several spikes of ice rose from the mountains and impaled the incoming aircraft. Tipler only got a peek of what happened as he and the stunned Alice watching the plane plummet to the ground and explode.

Alice was so stunned by the phenomena that she almost didn't realize she was going to crash into the mountains. She pushed herself away from the mountain range, although she stopped with enough distance to spare.

The plane next to her wasn't so lucky. The pilot was also shocked by his opponent's power as he failed to see the mountains. Before his plane crashed, he sputtered into the communication channels about the girl being a witch, which Bassler snarled in disgust.

"A Witch? At a time like this?"

As Alice and Tipler stopped by, they noticed Izetta going back towards the enemy planes.

"Did she just-"

"Yes, she used her own blood to destroy that flying monster."

As another squadron of enemy planes came in, they accelerated to catch up to their allies.

Another squadron of planes came at Bassler's one. He and his last squadmate focused on both girls as they turned towards him. Both Bassler and his squadmate fired on the girls, causing both pairs to evade.

"You bitch! I don't know who you girls are, but you are my enemy! I'll cut you both down!"

Alice broke off as Izetta continued to cruise past Bassler. The Psionic girl's new target was the reinforcement squadron that faced her. All of them fired weapons at her, which she promptly evaded. She threw two more sparks at the leading plane; the second one impacted the nose, tearing the left wing off and seeing the engine and cockpit ablaze.

The other four planes dispersed as they circled Alice. The girl faced Izetta rather than the planes after noticing her heading across the mountain pass. Alice chased after the one closest to the witch, which struggled to shake her off. She generated stronger gusts of wind around her hand as she cut the tail of the machine, causing it to spin out of control and crash.

The other three planes pursued Alice and continue to open fire from behind. She jerked left and right to avoid the streams of gunfire while one shot bounced off Izetta rifle to her shock. Alice glared at the planes as she decelerated, letting to the enemy fighters catch up. After she found herself right on top of the planes, she regained speed to match up with them. The pilot of the middle plane looked up as Alice came on top of her. She struck the 109 from the top with a punch, blowing up the machine and breaking it in two.

As she rode on the rear end of the burning wreckage, Alice channeled two more strong gusts of wind from her hands and threw them to destroy the other two planes. She then reignited her hands and chased after Izetta.

Bassler growled at the enemy behind her as he turned his plane to the left. He pulled up as Alice threw another speak at him only to miss. He descended near the surface to avoid another pair of shots, including one the impacted near the front of the plane. After circling behind the girl, he fired another stream of shots, causing the Psionic girl to avoid the shots. He quickly strafed his machine to avoid the incoming wind attack.

With Bassler currently off pursuit, Alice went after Izetta, who spat out more blood. She called upon more spikes to impale two more fighters with multiple spikes as they crashed down onto the ground. Alice regrouped behind her as they moved on. Now that all the planes were seemingly down, they could move onto entering Eylstadt without any pursuers.

Izetta checked with her passenger as they flew over the range.

"Princess, we're just over the mountain!"

Before the group can calm down, Izetta's rifle trembled. It plunged down to the ground as if the witch could no longer control it. There were moments where she could regain flight, only to lose it again. Tipler noticed as he and Alice slowed down close to the pair.

"Izetta-sama, what's wrong?"

"My power!"

Izetta plunged again as she struggled to regain her magic.

"We're falling! I can't pull up!"

The previous plunged coincidentally made her evade gunfire from Bassler, who still tailed the girls.

"You're not getting away!"

He fired another stream of bullets at the girls. Alice avoided the shots and responded with another bladed gust of wind; the gold-nosed plane strafed to avoid it. As it passed by, the Germanian captain responded with another stream of bullets. Alice attempted to evade, but one of the shots grazed her by her left arm.

"Alice-sama!"

Tipler could hear the screams coming from his master. Her life was not in danger, but she could no longer her left arm for combat. She could only use her right arm, and that kept them from falling to the ground. As of now, the Psionic girl was rendered helpless in a fight.

"It's coming this way!"

Izetta and the others faced the 109 that charged at them directly. All but Fine stared at hat looking like their imposing death before the princess intervened. Fine reached for the back of the rifle and pulled the bolt forward. She then pushed it forward, loading the gun with an anti-tank round.

"Point toward it. Straight at it. I won't let you be the only one who stained her hands with blood."

With the rest of her magic, Izetta held the rifle in midair and as steady as possible as she aimed after the plane. Just when Bassler fired a stream of rounds, Izetta pulled the trigger. With explosive force, even Alice and her Murlock friend were thrown backward from the explosive recoil.

Regardless, they avoided the stream of shots as the anti-tank round impacted the propeller engine of Bassler's plane. The 109's engine ground to a halt and now glided in midair. The Captain stared while his plane drifted above the Alps and back into Westrian territory.

"An Eylstadt witch, huh? Impossible…"

As the last Germanian plane vanished behind the mountains, Alice and Tipler sighed in relief. Despite the wounded arm, Alice thought this wasn't too bad for the first time against modern aircraft. On the other hand, the experience nearly scared Tipler half to death. He was just lucky that they were alive.

That could not be said for the same thing as they found Izetta descending again.

"Hot! Hot! Hot!"

"Izetta, what's wrong!"

Alice called out as she descended with her right arm, of which she kept out in front of her. Tipler could see the problem wasn't to do with magic, but with the rifle.

"Her weapon is too hot. She can't control it normally anymore."

"Izetta!"

Alice called out as the pair on the rifle approached the forest. The Psionic girl felt weak herself due to her injuries. The last thing she knew was getting below the two and trying to push them up to avoid their fall with Tipler calling out for her to stop. After landing, like the princess in front of her, her mind went blank.

* * *

 _And, there you have it. The next one should be short since it concludes the end of this scenario, so don't expect too much._

 _Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter._


	5. Episode 2-3

_And the conclusion of Episode 2. Again, not so much._

 _Fine found herself in a dream. A dream of childhood memories._

* * *

 _As a young girl, she chased her young dog through the forest to her grandmother's cabin. In the middle of their journey, however, they came across sparkles of light that engulfed the forest. Following the speckles of light was a beautiful singing voice that sounded like a young girl. The intrigued princess and her dog broke off to investigate the source of where it all originated._

 _That was the first time she met Izetta, dancing over a stream. She played around by a dock and twirled around on her broom. The young witch then noticed Fine watching, causing her to panic and nearly fall off her broom. Her magic eventually went away, and she started descending into the stream._

 _Fine reacted by running on the dock and jumping onto the nearby rowboat. She caught Izetta before falling into the river, but not for very long. The witch was already too heavy to carry, and she ended up pulled into the stream along with Izetta. Her dog also launched into the water._

 _Izetta acted like she wanted to apologize, but Fine only laughed as if it were no big deal._

 _"We both got wet. Sorry about that."_

 _Fine's laugh made Izetta gaze at her in awe._

 _"Say, are you a witch?"_

 _"Um, no…"_

 _"You can't fool me! They say that witches are fairy tales, and even if they exist, they're always depicted as bad people who made a deal with the devil. But things have changed, and everyone knows they're real. And I believe that Weisse Hexe, the clan of the legendary White Witch, also existed!_

 _Izetta wasn't sure what to say._

 _"You're…not scared."_

 _"Of course not! You looked so pretty back there! If you can do something like that, then that means you're a very benevolent witch! Right…"_

 _Before she could finish her question, she ended up sneezing. Izetta and her dog sneezed afterward, which made both girls laugh._

 _It wasn't long before the two got out and hung their clothes somewhere for them to dry. Even though they did not completely know each other at the time, it was the start of a relationship that burned into their heart of the rest of their lives._

* * *

The princess of Eylstadt opened her eyes as the dream passed. She was in the middle of a blue tent with a hanging lamp over her head. On her left was Alice, who had stitches on her left arm to cover the wound. Tipler stood beside her as he observed the princess standing up. She limped for a moment due to the injury on her arm, but that keep her lying down.

Izetta stood on her right side. Water flowed within her eyes, which only increased when the princess woke up.

"Princess? Princess!"

"Izetta…"

The witch stretched her upper body across Fine's lap. She hugged the princess as tightly as she could while Alice chuckled in front of her.

"Princess…"

Tipler could sigh in relief. He was getting tired of seeing the worried

"Sweet Vilag, I never thought you would wake up. She was worried about you when they took you in."

Fine observed her surroundings. She found a bunch of medical equipment within the tent. But she didn't find any emblems representing its nationality, only its light blue colors that represented her homeland.

"Where are we?"

Alice explained to her.

"We're in a military camp set up by Eylstadt. After that battle, we crashed into the ground. You lost consciousness just as I did, but Izetta found a troop of soldiers on the way. They carried us both on stretchers while Tipler hid in your bag."

Tipler eyed downward. Considering the surprise from Izetta and Fine, there was no telling what might happen if a bunch of soldiers found his existence.

"After that, they set up this tent and treated you. Considering your title of royalty, the doctors treated you as their priority. Then, they went ahead and treated us."

Alice eyed on Izetta's stitched legs while she patted on her arm, which still hurt for the moment. Tipler also joined in on the conversation.

"They said the bullet grazed your arm, but there were no other wounds."

"You can thank your witch friend here for patching you up."

Alice turned to Izetta as did the others. They found the witch blushing as her eyes continued to tear.

"S-Sorry, Princess! It was the best I could do!"

Fine chuckled over the young girl's attempt to seek help. However, she was not the only one she should thank. There were also these two guests, especially the one who also had a wounded arm from the previous battle.

"What about you? Your arm…"

"Don't worry about it. I only receive a graze on my left arm myself. No biggie!"

"But the doctor said, you also suffered so much blood loss…"

"I said, no biggie!"

Alice denied Tipler's complaints as she patted her arm, only to limp when she patted it too hard. She was left comforting the wound as Tipler edged closer to her. The mystery behind these two still lingered in Fine's mind.

"Forgive for not asking until now, but who are you two? What nation do you come from?"

Tipler was too hesitant to talk while Alice responded pride and her healthy arm on her chest.

"I am Alice Alcubierre! And this little guy here is Tipler. He is my pet companion was summoned to accompany me! And we're here to save the world!"

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Lady Fine."

Fine eyed on the little rabbit creature. Indeed, he was an odd one. He looked like a rabbit thanks to his large eyes, feet, and floppy ears. However, he still had small fingers like that of a human. There's also the fact he could understand and speak a human language right here in the room. He was a unique creature, so unique that it gave her a worrying thought. Who knows what will happen if they found him? But Alice didn't seem to mind.

"Don't worry; the Eylstadt troops don't know about him yet. Nor do they know about our power."

Tipler then went to the edge of the bed. He wanted to reach the other bed where Fine laid.

"When the doctors examined your body, I heard them talking about an old would you had."

Alice used her arms to carry the furry creature to Fine, who lifted her shirt. The very mention of the wound startled Izetta as well as the princess. Alice took a look at the wound herself, which was burning scar on her hip. Fine covered the scar with her hand."

"It's an old wound from long ago. It's nothing to concern you."

But Alice saw otherwise as Izetta's tears built up once again in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, princess…"

"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault."

"No, it's all my fault!"

Izetta hugged Fine as Alice and Tipler observed. They both came to the same conclusion that these girls have had a much deeper and scarring relationship than they once thought. Perhaps when they have the time, they should ask her for more.

* * *

Landsbruck, the capital of Eylstadt…

It used to be a quiet city bustling with civilian activity. Now, it was all quiet with Renault tanks and soldiers digging up trenches. Many white blimps tethered to the ground protected the city from air attack, specifically dive bombers that may try to make a quick strike on the capital.

Within the palace, Archduke Rudolph who ruled the lands was bedridden within his private quarters. A few maids and his most trusted officials surrounded him to report the news. As of now, the situation was already hopeless for them.

"I never thought that I'd see Landsbruck's sky covered in so many barrage balloons. And now, Fort Schweizen has fallen…"

General Schneider, a senior man in the same light blue clothes as the rest of the nation's military, was the one who reported the news. He displayed the current plans and the enemies whereabouts on the map.

"I'm afraid so…"

"What happened to the fortress's men?"

"A suicide squad valiantly succeeded in bringing down Bergen Bridge. We were told that the survivors escaped. Unfortunately, there weren't many."

"I expected them to make a swift strike against the capital, but they came from the west instead?"

"Damn Germanians and their feints!"

Schneider also cursed how the Germanians toyed with the nation. Even though the Empire had a total advantage, they still resorted to deception against their enemy. Regardless, the general was trying to make light of the situation.

"However, the Germanian's cowardly tactics would only raise morale upon the troops. Together, they have set up defensive lines at Coenenberg and prepared to repel the enemy invaders. Moreover, their sudden attack allowed us to get in contact with the Karsland resistance forces within the Germanian homeland."

"Karsland, huh?"

"We already received word that they would aid us in defending our borders. They even have Witches backing us up to defend the city, from the 501st Joint Fighter Wing no less! Together with our might, we'll show those cowardly Imperials a thing or two!"

But one of the officials quickly objected to that. It was the top aide to the Archduke, Sieghart Muller.

"The Germanians are not a foe that can be defeated with mere shouting and morale. And their vast technological superiority and numbers outstrip our own, even with the Karsland rebels on our side, General Schneider."

"What did you say!?"

Rudolph raised his hand to prevent any more argument. He focused on another matter entirely.

"Sieg Muller, has there been any word from Fine?"

"No, none as of yet."

Muller shared the Archduke's deep concerns. Eylstadt was on the verge of defeat and Fine was nowhere to be found. The last time he knew about the princess was her trip to Westria to negotiate with Britannia to provide support. However, even with the sudden help from Karsland and soldiers from 501st Joint Fighter Wing, they knew much of their efforts were in vain.

"At this point, even I would be willing to seek help from the Witch in the fairy tale."

He started at a painting that depicted a beautiful woman in a white dress, who held a rod that looked powerful enough to terrify foes. That was the symbol of the White Witch.

"Weisse Hexe…a Witch among Witches…"

Rudolph knew the story well for it was how the Duchy of Eylstadt lasted for so long. Right now, it was just a legend passed down through many generations and a folktale by the Witch clans who showed themselves to the world when the Neuroi attacked.

"It's hopeless. Even in an age where Witches are accepted, and the legend was true, politics and traditions have changed. Not even the legendary clan they idolize will save us…"

The Archduke coughed hard in the middle of his speech. His maids approached to check on him, but he waved them away.

"Your Excellency!"

"Please leave…Get me my bag at once…After that, I'd like to be alone…"

The maids and several of the officials rushed out. Muller was one of the few who stayed behind to watch over the Archduke. He walked towards the painting of the White Witch as he thought to himself.

 _Weisse Hexe…the clan among clans…thus, anyone who inherits the woman's blood is a Witch among Witches._

Despite the Archduke's warnings, Muller still held his hopes. If they found anyone who inherited the legendary clan's blood, then it would surely be a miracle to the Duchy and its people.

* * *

 _And that's the end for Episode 2. Hope you enjoyed the short chapter._


	6. Episode 3-1

_Now for the next episode, which will begin the introduction of new shows._

* * *

On Westria's side of the Alps, a squad of Germanian soldiers investigated a crash site. It was the remains of the twin-engine transport that got shot down not so long ago. They received the distress call before it crashed and were the first to arrive there as part of their responsibility.

Berkman stood upon the scrapped remains of the transport. All the personnel and experimental equipment were left behind….almost all of it. The only thing that was missing were two passengers as Rickert reported.

"So far, the only bodies we found were our own soldiers. There's no sign of a parachute used, either. What do you think happened to the princess and the specimen?"

"Maybe she was the real thing then."

Berkman's calm words startled Rickert for a moment.

"You mean, she's a descendant of Weisse Hexe?"

Berkman sighed as they moved on.

"Either way, it's our responsibility to go after her. We will call the workshop and tell them we're in pursuit."

A couple of soldiers with a large radio reported to the pair.

"Major! Incoming transmission from emergency HQ! A battle is about to begin on the plains south of Ruden Lake!"

Berkman understood what was going in that region. The Germanian troops were approaching Coenenberg, which was not far from their location. Upon hearing the news, Berkman figured out their ultimate destination.

* * *

"I see, so that's how it is…"

Tipler pondered as he hid in Alice's pocket. He and have been traveling beside Izetta and Fine, way ahead of the soldiers behind them.

The quartet found it necessary to keep private discussions among each other. It was perhaps the only time that they could do such a task. Time was of the essence now that Germania invaded with a large-scale force. They needed to know other now to ensure that they could trust each other. Their relationships were as much of a secret as their powers, which is why they found some place to be alone.

Fine started sharing their stories first, starting back when they first met. She also explained about the scar on her hip.

"Ever since the day we first met, the two of us treasured our friendship very deeply."

Alice started asking questions to Fine and her companion as they went forward.

"If you really like each other, why didn't you two stay together this entire time? Why live separate until now."

Izetta answered.

"It's because we're nomads. Unlike normal Witches, our clan never stayed in one place."

"So, there are more people like you?"

Izetta shook her head.

"I only lived with my grandmother for most of my life. She kept telling me that I would be the last of our clan. She always told me that our powers only bring grief and suffering to others. Therefore, I was to never use my powers for anything, even if it were for good. And because I did not have full control of my powers, we had to keep moving. The people of this continent despised people like us. For all my life, I felt scared, so much that I started to hate myself, and even the power I inherited."

Tipler pitied the little girl. But Alice had the opposite reaction. Instead, she slapped Izetta on the back to her shock.

"Don't be so down about it. Your princess seems to enjoy you and your powers, doesn't she? She seems to worship you if it's true that your clan descend from this legendary White Witch."

Fine gave a blush.

"Her powers were always interesting. She always talked to me about how she never smiled in real life because she was so scared everyone would hate her. Even when people did end up hating her, I always stood by her side."

"And now, it's because of your power that your princess is safe! If it weren't for you, your friend could have died by now, and…Izetta?"

Alice noticed that Izetta was still unmoved by her words. She looked worse than before as if a massive guilt trip happened.

"I'm not worthy of being her friend."

"Izetta?"

Fine stepped in to switch the conversation. She faced Alice specifically, who was the most talkative among them.

"I think we should now hear your side of the story. Who are you two exactly?"

Alice responded with pride like the last time.

"Well, to start, I'm Alice Alcubierre. And this here is Tipler, my…"

"I already know that. I mean, where did you two come from? And why do have a creature unlike any other as your companion?"

Alice sweated for the moment. Her face went red as well as she never thought over that part enough.

"Well, that's a long story. You see, I'm from the United States of Liberion."

Izetta only raised an eyebrow since she only heard the name. On the other hand, Fine's eyes were far more surprised.

"Liberion? You mean, you came all the way from the Atlantic?"

Alice gave a mischievous grin and winked at her.

"That's right! Well, I originally started south from Liberion, in the nation of Asteca. And even then, things got fuzzy."

Izetta and Fine focused on Alice as she told her story.

"You see, I was never born in such a tropical wasteland. I knew from the start, as did the family who adopted me, that I could never have been naturally born in this kind of world. For that very reason, they kept pestering me not to use them out in the open."

Alice raised her hand to show a powerful flame before immediately grabbing it, clenching her hand into a fist.

"If you ask me, this kind of power is my lifeblood. I knew that I could do anything if I convinced myself that this was a gift. Who cares if I must keep it a secret, screw what my parents or others think of it! This is my power, and I'm not going to let others tell me what to do with them!"

"I see…"

Fine gave an uneasy laugh. Izetta, however, had her face red. Perhaps it was jealousy over the girl, or rather shame that she didn't have the courage as Alice had. She only listened as Alice continued.

"After my parents passed away, I was given control of the house. But I didn't want just to remain stuck in a place like that. I made a promise to them that I would pursue an easier life than the one they had. That's why I left it all behind and headed off to the States. Then I saw all this stuff about the Empire of Germania and Neuroi waging war out here. I couldn't just let all of this crazy stuff happen, so I decided to help out."

Fine could understand Alice's desires well. But that also brought up another question.

"And how did you here from the United States?"

"Just found a food merchant ship en route to this place. I just stowed away in the cargo area, ate whatever stuff they transported, and finally got off without anyone noticing."

Fine smirked at the girl while also giving a glare.

"You better have paid for damaged goods then. If it weren't for the war, I would charge you for confessing to thievery and vandalizing personal property."

Alice waved her threat her threat.

"Ahh, it's no biggie. In fact, that's how I came to meet Tipler!"

Alice then grabbed the shocked Tipler and hugged him in front of her chest. Fine let out a more honest chuckle. She eyed on the creature and asked Alice again.

"I see, and what is his story?"

"I don't know. What he said was kind of iffy to me."

A question mark drew upon the other two girls as Alice gave a straight answer.

"Well, to start, Tipler says that he's a being from the future."

Izetta and Fine both had their eyes wide open, the princess was the one to talk.

"From the future!? Impossible!"

Tipler responded to the princess's shock over with a hint of guilt.

"A very distant one, I'm afraid."

"What brings you here? Of all places, why did you come to this period in time? Is it something to do with World War II and the Germanians winning the war?"

Alice was the one to answer that question.

"Tipler did not come here because of Germania. Hell, he says that he comes from a world where technology does not exist. Tanks and planes aside, he doesn't even know what money, trains, or guns are! It's like he came from medieval or prehistoric times or something."

Tipler looked down to confirm Alice's words.

"I'm afraid that where I come from, all of this is completely alien to me. However, I can not let it get in the way of my mission."

Fine then eyed on the little creature.

"And what is your mission?"

"To protect the world from the Vilag."

"The Vilag?"

Alice clarified Izetta's confusion.

"From what I understand, they're people like me, humans who have special abilities like the Witches of our world…although he keeps calling them Psionics."

Tipler went to explain the meaning of the term.

"Psionics differ from the…magic of our world. Seeing your powers in action, you all have a limit as to how much you can do with your abilities. The Vilag, on the other hand, have no such limitations except for their mental state and amount of practice. Simply put, as long as they can focus by even a little bit, they can bend the world as they see fit."

Izetta was the most shaken of the two. She may be a powerful Witch by her own right, but Tipler's words sounded like he knew her grave secret. Fine was also unnerved about these beings, wondering what would happen if they arrive.

"So these Vilag are that powerful?"

Alice replied as he hugged Tipler even more.

"That's why he found me! When I found him, he was looking for two people with Psionics who will defeat these evil Vilag, and I am one of them!"

"Two people?"

Tipler confirmed Alice's words.

"Yes, I thought if I could find one, then I could easily find the other. But considering she does not know of anyone else who wields Psionics, that does not appear to be the case."

"I wish we could help you in any way we can. However…"

Alice put Tipler back in her pouch as she responded.

"That's okay. You're fighting a war here, aren't you? Of course, you don't have much time! But that doesn't mean we have no reason to be here. I just need to get a taste of combat to prepare for the real bad guys. That way, when they arrive, I'll be ready to beat these Vilag to a bloody pulp whatever I see fit!"

"Is that so?"

Alice slammed her fist and palm together with glee, which gave Fine and Izetta an uneasy laugh. It would not be wrong to call Alice bold, especially if her first battle was trying to rescue her in the face of several fighter squadrons. But if Alice thought that would be enough to take on the whole Germanian force, then she was undoubtedly overconfident.

"Princess!"

Izetta called as they found Eylstadt soldiers rushing up from behind. Fine faced forward as did everyone else.

"We have arrived."

At the end of the trail, there was a large medieval castle standing by the cliff. Although the mountainside was covered in trees, there was enough visibility over the edge. On the side, they could see a river with all its bridges destroyed. On the other side was a column of tanks and trenches, poised to strike against the Germanian invaders.

* * *

The Eylstadt soldiers were busy setting up their new camp within the worn-down fortress. Even though it was in bad shape and abandoned for so long, it was still far better than the tents outside. The doctors begin treating the other wounded members while other scouts and soldiers set up guard posts around the castle.

Fine stayed in a mansion within the fort. For the past few hours, she conversed with the soldiers about Germania's advances. The duchy's future already looked grim as reports of more casualties and population centers lost to Germania came to her.

Right now, Fine remained in what used to be an old living room. The princess sat on a simple wooden chair with Alice and Izetta in front of her. She called all the soldiers to leave them alone as they began a private talk, with Alice breaking the silence.

"So, what's the situation?"

"I'm afraid to tell you that it's not looking good. The Germanian army has already broken through most of our defensive lines and crossed the Lach River. Our men destroyed the bridges to delay them, but as a result, we are unable to cross it ourselves."

"Then how do we get back to your capital?"

"There's a mountain pass we can take to get there, but it's a gamble. If Coenenberg falls before we make it there, we'll be completely surrounded."

"Coenenberg?"

"It's currently our last line of defense. Should Germania take control of it, they'll have an easy path to the capital via the main road. The people are evacuating, but even now, I fear that they'll begin bombing the city at any time."

"So, no good news, huh?"

"I'm afraid not. Without the help of the Allies, we've been on our own. But reports say that we have some soldiers form Karsland coming to assisting in Coenenberg's defense."

"Karsland?"

Fine turned to her friend to get her attention regarding the matter. It was important enough to avoid unnecessary casualties and fights.

"Something for you to know. As this point, we might come across soldiers who look and speak Germanian. However, these people are from an underground network within the Empire known as the Karsland resistance movement."

Alice rubbed her face with the palm of her hand with intrigue.

"Rebels against their own Empire, eh? What's their stake in this?"

"In case you either forgot or never learned this, Karsland was the original name for Germania. After the first World War, the nation reformed towards democracy, shifting power away from its monarchy much like all the other European nations. However, various problems made the new government indecisive, and the people were struggling for help. By the time the nation suffered a severe economic crisis, the current ruler had acted."

"That's the current Kaiser, Otto."

"He rallied the people to his side and convinced them to completely transfer power back to the royal family, revamping the nation's economy and infrastructure. The country changed so greatly that at the peak of its power, he deemed the name Karsland a name of the past. It was then that he decided to give his empire a new name, Germanian, which comes from ancient history."

"Well, that explains how where the name came from. But that doesn't explain what else is going on there. Ignoring the Neuroi, there are his dreams of world conquest, and we all know the other filthy stuff the Kaiser did to get his position."

What Alice mentioned were the various other crimes that occurred during the Kaiser's rise to power. Although she only saw some of it, Izetta also felt sick about it. Not just the massacre of entire settlements, but also how they pursued Witches like her. Tipler did not know any of this stuff, but she could also feel what the White Witch was thinking. The thoughts overwhelmed them both as Fine's lecture with Alice continued.

"Throughout his campaign for absolute power, he targeted various groups for the people to hate. Specifically, he targeted on Witches, where he claimed ordinary humans could work far better than they can. He even claims their attempt to reach greater heights rather than relying on Witches are what caused the Neuroi not to attack their homeland. After that, he focused on advancing the nation's technology by any means necessary, no matter how morally questionable it was."

"I'm guessing that's why he started persecuting Witches?"

"There are those who say he simply wanted their power, even if meant obtaining it by force, but many were wise enough to go against him. Some Witches and their supporters, especially from political and military backgrounds, decided to work behind the Kaiser's back, assisting the Allies whenever possible to stand against his tyranny. Even then, it's not enough to stop them."

"Sorry to hear about that."

"There's no need to apologize. It's practically a miracle that I made it back here alive. No, it is a miracle. But now, there will be no more miracles; this is something we must do on our own."

"Princess?"

Izetta spoke up at last. The last words caught her attention as the princess faced her.

"Izetta, I want you and Alice to run away from this war."

"What!?"

Even Alice jumped over the princess's decision. She could easily feel Izetta's shock over such a request as the Witch complained.

"Run away? But why?"

"This is Eylstadt's war. I can't get any of you involved in our affairs."

"But I…"

"You fought for me and even broke your taboo to do so. Alice also did well to protect me, but she has other important matters besides ours. Your efforts were more than enough."

"What are you talking about!?"

"You two are the only people who never seem to care about my rank. That's why I want you to survive. Is that too selfish of me?"

Alice noticed the sad look in Izetta's eyes. Perhaps she was thinking about the times when Fine risked her life to save her. That included the time when villagers blamed for a fire in the farmhouse, which resulted in the princess receiving that ugly scar on her hip. Now, the princess was sacrificing herself again for Izetta's sake. That was something even Alice did not standby over, not with such tyrannical Empire coming their way and Fine's fate uncertain.

"It's the same as before…"

Izetta muttered to herself as fine listened.

"First, it was that day when you protected me, and now this. Every time the two of us were in trouble, it was always you who came to save me. That's why I started to like myself and my powers, even just by a little bit. Even so…I've never done anything for you, especially not as a friend."

"Izetta…"

"Princess, I have a request. Will you…be my hope?"

"Izetta, are you saying?"

"From now on, I will protect your country!"

Alice smirked at the Witch's bold statement. She usually thought of her as being forced to do something against her will, even if it meant saving a person. Her past didn't help either, including her relationship with the princess. By finally standing up to herself, Alice had a better opinion of her.

However, Fine thought otherwise. The princess raised her arms, only to limp over her wound again.

"No, you can't, Izetta! As powerful as you are, you'll never beat them!"

Alice stepped in front to defend her with her bandaged arm in front.

"Come on! You saw her destroy a squadron of planes, right? Why can't you say she can take on more!"

"A handful of planes is one thing, but you'll be going against an army of over tens of thousands! They are the most advanced army in the world and trained themsleves to confront other Witches! It won't be as easy as before!"

Izetta and Alice thought otherwise.

"But I think I can do it."

"I do, too! Tipler and I came all the way here to fight the bad guys and save the world! I'm not going to just back down because you tell us to, not when we've made it this far!"

Fine regained her composure. She remained unphased about their commitment to assist her country despite the situation.

"I appreciate the gesture. But I can't get you involved when you have nothing to do with it. Please…"

The girls remained silent within the room, with none of them budging over their stances. Even Tipler did not know what to say, considering his master's bold action and his own helplessness.

* * *

 _Now, before closing this chapter, I want to note that Asteca is an actual country from Strike Witches. According to the Strike Witches world map, it's right where Mexico is. Therefore, that's the supposed "birthplace" of Alice Alcubierre._

 _Next part will be the actual battle. Hope you enjoyed the chapter._


	7. Episode 3-2

_Before moving on, I decided that because the ending part was too short, I'll just put it together with the battle. After this, we can go straight to the fourth episode._

 _In the meantime, I'll be displaying some battle quote in the forums I conjure when writing this fic, much like how characters will have special quotes when fighting certain enemies in the SRW game. I'll be storing the lists of quotes for each character in each series on replied with respective threadmarks. I'll update them whenever I approve new quotes that people come up with, whether it be here on the forums or from reviews on ._

 _There will be a list for each character, both good guys and bad guys, sorted by series. Each list will contain special quotes for confronting an opponent, receiving damage from an opponent (minimal/avoiding damage, major damage with high health, and major damage with low health), support from an ally (attacking and defending), and sometimes death. Therefore, that's seven lists in total._

 _I'll give a couple of examples later. For now, here's the chapter._

* * *

The fields of Coenenberg was never the type for a battlefield. And yet, it became one as Germanian forces advanced unopposed. Squads of infantry escorted columns of Panzer IIIs and IVs. The already crushed the Eylstadt's Renault tank columns, eliminating the entire armored division that stood at the vanguard. Now that was left standing in the way of conquering the city were the entrenched positions and whatever artillery batteries they had.

Unlike the tanks, the defensive positions proved to be more of a problem for the ground troops. Their cannons were useless in the trenches and machineguns had limited effectiveness. Without heavy weapons such as machine guns, the ground soldiers easily took care of them by throwing grenades into the trenches. However, there were still a lot of machinegun emplacements, which kept them advancing. They had to rely on their allies from above.

Up in the air were Ju-87 Stuka dive bombers, all of which carried bombs under their wings in addition to two forward MG17s and one rear mounted MG15 machinegun. Their main purpose was to bomb the trenches so the tanks could advance, but even that was a problem. There were no Eylstadt planes to intercept them, but they were attacked by another threat, which was why they were brought in instead of twin-engine He-111 bombers.

Shortly below the Stukas was a twin-tailed, brown-haired girl in her late teens. Her uniform looked much like that used by Germania, except her emblem had an "X" instead of a dagger-like Balkenkruz. However, she did not wear any legwear. Instead, she wore machines on her legs that resembled propeller-driven aircraft that gave her flight. Furthermore, if her leg-attached machine were a real fight, then it would resemble Germania's own Falk-Wulf 190D-6. She even carried a Germanian-based MG42 with had two drum magazines attached to it. The bright aura around her showed she used magic flowing within her to wield the heavy weapon, also shown by her ears and tail like that from a Wirehaired Pointer dog.

Gertrude Barkhorn remained in place as she opened fire on a squadron of Stukas. Her stream of bullets tore through the wing of the leading Stuka, forcing the others to break away. She engaged another plane breaking to the right before she pursued it. The two Stukas on the left returned from their defensive split maneuver to get behind her. Anticipating this maneuver, she ascended to a higher altitude. Right when the planes pass, she performed a partial wingover by swooping down to trail behind all four planes.

As the plane's rear-mounted gunner opened fire, Gertrude put up a circular barrier of light in front of her. This shield deflected the gunfire that would have torn through her body otherwise. In the middle of the gunfire, she engaged in a scissor-like maneuver, strafing to the left and right as she engaged the Stuka. She luckily got the middle by the tail and sent it plunging to the ground.

The closest Stuka continued to open fire. One bounced off Gertrude's Striker Unit that knocked her off balance in the middle of firing. The leading Stuka did a pitchback to the right and faced Gertrude head-on. The Witch stopped moving to regain balance as the Stuka aimed at her. She attempted to project a shield from the anticipating gunfire as another stream of MG42 fire came from above. The attacking Stuka turned to break off, but the hail of bullets damaged by the left wing and back section, sending it flying into the ground.

The stream of bullets came from a short blonde girl. Her Striker unit resembled one of Germania's ME-109s, and she had ears like that of a Dachshund dog. Her uniform was like Gertrude's, except more for an enlisted officer. She was pretty laid back for a subordinate, much to the officer's ire, but she had it where it counted.

"You seem to have trouble, Trude."

"Don't lose sight of the enemy! There are more planes inbound, take them out before they bomb our allies on the ground!"

Another girl in a Striker Unit came in after flipping two loops backward. She was fair-skinned with two short, black twin-tails and ears of a black panther. She only wore a white button jacket instead of the Germanian-like uniforms of her two comrades. Her Striker Unit resembled a Romagna Fiat G-55.

Francesca Lucchini struggled to hold onto her Liberion-made M1919A6 machinegun as she regained balance. She was already getting tired over the countless waves of Germanian aircraft.

"Aggh, they just keep coming! When is this ever going to end!?"

"If we don't hold them off here, they will strike deep into Eylstadt territory and overwhelm the capital! We need to shoot down as many as we can and hold them off until the city evacuates."

Gertrude did not show it but also cursed the entire situation. Aside from having to fight her own countrymen, this whole battle was never for the sake of victory. It was so the citizens could escape the duchy, which was a long and slow process altogether.

"Our men on the ground say that the Eylstadt forces will launch an artillery barrage soon. Keep the enemy at bay and make sure they do not bomb their positions, especially their observation post in the mountains."

Gertrude then descended as Erica and Francesca followed her. They swooped in and attacked a Stuka about to drop its bombs, but the plane crashed into the entrenched position after shooting it down. A few more Stuka dropped their bombs before ascending. The Witches fired their weapon at the enemy planes with Erica and Gertrude destroying two more planes. Another two that completed their run fired their rear machineguns, forcing them to project their shields as they pursued. They behind one of the Stukas as it fired back. Erica and Francesca used Gertrude's shield as they performed a scissors maneuver and shot down one of the Stukas. After clearing the other Stuka's line of fire, the Witches approached it by the side as Gertrude destroyed the propeller. They broke off from the downed Stuka as they continued heading back to the mountains.

They performed low yo-yo maneuver together to gain speed as they flew over the ruined trenches. The Germanian Panzer IIIs continued to advance below as they fired with their turret and chassis-mounted machineguns. The Eylstadt forces and Karsland agents continued to fire back with their own machineguns as several of them got shot by their helmets.

Gertrude tightened her grip on her weapons a glared at the ground vehicles.

 _If only my MG151/20 had ammo, I would have done something about those tanks by now._

A shadow from the next wave of Stukas pass over Gertrude, causing her and her squad mates to break off as they gained altitude. Using their speed to their advantage, they made a quick strike from below and fired their machine guns at once. While Francesca had trouble until the last minute, each Witch managed to shoot down a Stuka each. They stopped to observe the downed Stuka crashing into the Germanian troops while the last two Stukas broke away.

The Witches were interrupted as gunfire came from above. Another squadron of Stukas descended to attack the girls, forcing them to put up their shields and accelerated. The leading Stuka trialed girl and fired its forward machineguns at them. A few bullets got Francesca and Gertrude by their guns, and another grazed the latter's wing, causing her to spiral for the moment. Another bullet nearly got Erica by the arm shortly after lowering her shield, only to fire back within machinegun fire into the plane's engine.

Two accompanying planes started to fire back as well, but the Witches stopped and put their shields to block the attacks. They slowed down their speed until they were sandwiched on both sides. While this was naturally disadvantageous for normal planes, the more mobile Witches remained safe from the life of fire including the Stukas' rear guns. They gunned down both Stukas closest to them while Gertrude got another one further outward. Francesca missed the last one that broke off and returned fire with its rear turret. The Romagna Witch panicked as he put a shield as Gertrude and Erica pursued. They fired their MG42s at the strafing dive bomber and nabbed it on the right wing. The Stuka then crashed into the cliff edge, not too far from the observation post.

The Witches stopped as they found the observation post still intact. No planes approached the cliff side so that the artillery could fire at any time now. They heard the rapid on the other side of the mountain, coming from the forests as they flew below the Witches. They noticed the shots drop down and pound the advancing Germanian forces. A few tanks got destroyed, although they were all only Panzer IIIs, and a few more Germanian squads were obliterated.

Gertrude sighed for the moment. They had been fighting since the afternoon, and before then, they traveled from an airport to the east just to get to Coenenberg. The entire battle was draining, and even with all the hard work, it wasn't as rewarding as it sounded. It was a lost cause from the start, and all they were doing was salvaging what they could at the expense of so many men. Even then, time was short, for them, their allies, and the civilians below.

* * *

Back at the fortress, Fine observed the battle from afar. The artillery bombardment damaged some of the tanks and hit many of the advancing Germanian forces, but that was only the first wave. Several more tank columns still advanced from behind with more infantry support. In the air, she observed the Karsland Witches battling against the Stuka dive bombers in the area. Their efforts were minimal but effective to a degree.

A blonde-haired Major of the Eylstadt forces reported to Fine as she observed.

"The artillery did a decent job hitting the armored columns. As of now, it looks like a stalemate from out here."

Fine still had some worry. The first bombardment might have done well, but how long will it last.

"Is there any hope they can win?"

"If we're lucky enough, we'll be able to buy time for the civilians to evacuate."

Those words shocked Fine as if it were the gentle answer of saying "no."

"Are you saying that we're only able to buy time!? Don't our people and Karsland forces even know that!?"

"They do, and they're fighting anyway."

Fine clinched her fists as the situation further overwhelmed her. Whether the soldiers were fighting or not, lives were being lost by the minute. What the point of saving lives if people were dying as of now, especially when the time being bought is too short to be worth it.

 _Buying time? We're losing lives just to buy time? Isn't there anything I can do…for the lives being lost this very minute?_

A group of soldiers came up behind them.

"Princess, may you allow us to go to Coenenberg?"

The major stepped in to protest.

"No way."

"Our fellow soldiers are dying out there! We can't just stand by and watch!"

"You can't cross anything in front of the river without any equipment."

"We can just kill as many as possible, whether it be our rifles, knives, bayonets, or whatever! We lost our comrades at the fortress. We can't let them all die!"

"NO!"

Fine's scream startled the soldiers as they all drew their eyes on her.

"There's nothing we can do now!"

"But…"

"That's enough! The situation is dire, I know, but those fighting at Coenenberg are fighting to buy us time. When the time comes to withdraw, we must. Have you forgotten our real mission here? What are we risking our lives for? This is neither revenge nor a reckless challenge! It's to protect our people, and our families, is it not!? You must endure for now."

Fine did her best to keep composure, but the madness was more than enough he can bear. They noticed her breaking down in tears as she lectured them.

"I'm sorry, but as I am now, I can't even let you choose where to lay down your lives. At some point, I shall call upon you sacrifice yourselves, but now is not the time. My job is to create a country that lets you keep your eyes fixed on the future. I'm supposed to tell you not how to die, but how to live. That is my duty, and yet…"

"Princess…"

"Now, excuse me."

Fine turned away from the stunned soldiers. She stood strong for too long and did not want to show any weakness. But even with her back turned, she could feel all the soldiers pitying her, having nothing but words to deal with the crisis.

 _Forgive me…Forgive me for not being strong enough._

During the entire speech, Izetta hid by the tree, watching the princess in agony. Even with Fine's protests, Izetta could only see pain in her eyes. After all the times Fine saved her from her pain and despair she endured, the princess was able to endure that pain herself. The princess's pain was the same as hers.

She slowly snuck away from the soldiers, walking slowly back to the fortress. She always felt pain coming from herself, but pain coming from someone else was something else. She had to do something, something that would make the princess feel better. Then that way, she herself would feel better.

In the middle of the depression, Izetta heard a loud clang that brought her back to her senses. She jerked to the soldiers alongside Fine, who seemingly did not hear the loud metallic noise. The Witch then returned to where the sound originated, another part of a mansion with a door to the outside.

Just then, Alice stepped outside the mansion with clattering medieval lances that looked like large jousting lances. Alice nearly tripped over them with fastened armored boots. Alice regained her balance and had Tipler assist her in fastening two metal gauntlets for her arms.

The Psionic girl noticed the miserable Witch return to a depressing state, and she was not having any of it.

"Hey, White Witch! Are you just going to stay there and weep or what!?"

Izetta snapped to her senses.

"Alice?"

"I saw your eyes back there. You wish to help your princess save her country, don't you? Well, I found the perfect weapons to do it!"

She put her boot on one of the jousting lances that rolled along with her feet. Izetta stared at the lance but got distracted when Tipler fastened the ties to the boots as well.

"And what about those?"

The Witch pointed at the armor that Alice wore.

"Oh, these? I found these gauntlets and boots in this old armory here. My arm may be bandaged, but it's not broken. I can still fight with ease. Plus, the extra armor will keep this kind of injury from happening again."

The Psionic girl generated a large flame from her hand. It somewhat reminded her of how she checked the area for mana, all the way down to pumping her fist.

"And that's not all; I found a whole bunch of stuff you can use as weapons. The soldiers are in the middle of transporting them, so you better get them now before they're all gone."

Izetta walked over near Alice, who pointed through the doorway. She nearly tripped on the lances herself as she stumbled into the old building. What stood before her was a large array of medieval equipment. Swords, lances, knights' armor, chainmail, maces, and a large arsenal of other weapons stood in the gallery. It was more than enough for the White Witch to carry herself.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Alice went beside Izetta and placed her hand on her shoulder. Izetta took a quick look at Alice's hot-blooded grin before looking away. She checked the area for mana one last time, which displayed a huge virtual stone of energy. That was also more than enough for her.

"We'll do this for the Princess."

Both brought their fists together. As Tipler got back in her pouch, Alice brought her hands together with overwhelming confidence.

"That's right! Let's go kick some Germanian ass!"

* * *

The Witches continued firing their weapons at the enemy planes as they descended, but they were getting close to their limit. As Gertrude noticed, she was down her last clips, and it looked like Francesca and Erica were close to running out of ammunition as well. Furthermore, the enemy started bringing another wave of Stuka. This time, they had squadrons of Me-109s escorting them, which likely scrambled to deal with their presence. Either way, they were not going to last much longer.

Gertrude fired another salvo at the leading Stuka in another squadron. While she took it by destroying the propeller, the planes already started dropping their bombs on their target. The observation post was obliterated in their bombing run, which meant that the Eylstadt artillery battery was blind. Without a clear sight of the enemy positions, Coenenberg's flank was vulnerable for a push.

"Lieutenant, we've…"

"I know…"

Gertrude silenced Francesca's report as she listed out their options. As she observed the ground below, the Germanians were already breaching the last few lines of defense. Some of the soldiers including their agents even started to pull out with them. It was time for a retreat.

"All Witches, fall back! We've done enough."

"Trude…"

"That is an order. Our men are pulling out it's time we did, too."

Erica and Francesca complied as they flew towards the city. But in their path, machinegun fire flew in their direction. A squadron of Me 109s pursued them as they opened fire with their machine guns. Gertrude turned to fire back, but a couple struck her by the weapon and the arm respectively. It didn't hit anything major, but she found herself plunging downward.

"Trude!"

The Flight Lieutenant could hear Erica's voice as she struggled to regain balance. The Me-109 descended as it aimed towards her. She was about to aim her gun at the fighter until it exploded.

Unaware of what just happened, Gertrude took the take to regain her balance held steady just above the ground. Erica and Francesca also shielded their eyes from the blast, which nearly left them vulnerable to another set of Me 109s. Right when they covered their eyes, they found another girl soaring in the air with what looked two streaks of flame coming from metal gauntlets.

Alice disengaged her rocket-based propulsion to manifests two flames as if they were blowtorches. She used each hand to cut through both fighter planes and send them crashing to the ground.

Erica and Francesca stood braindead over what happened. They immediately wondered who this girl was and how she uses powers similar to blowtorches as swords and rocket-based propulsion from her hands to keep herself up. By all means, she was no ordinary Witch…that is if she _was_ a Witch.

The Psionic girl turned to the two Witches. Gertrude rejoined them soon after as she greeted them.

"Guess I came just in time, eh?"

Gertrude eyed on the sudden savior. She was never any information about this girl, who made an introduction by wiping out three Me 109s with little effort. She demanded to know more about this girl.

"Identify yourself. What is your affiliation?"

"Come on, that's how you greet someone who saved you?"

Alice shook her head and sighed in frustration. She gave her introduction once again, although it was pretty forced.

"The name's Alice, Alice Alcubierre. And I'm here to protect you girls from these Germanian bad guys!"

"You think you can do all of this alone?"

Alice only chuckled as she turned to someplace else on the ground.

"As if! I got some help on the way, someone whose company you'll pretty much enjoy."

"A Witch, but how…"

A dual of explosions caught their attention. It was the same direction that Alice was facing, causing them all to look down. A Stuka dive bomber was just about to bomb another trench with Eylstadt soldiers before they all exploded at once. In the middle of all the smoke, they swore they could see sparkles trail behind a swarm of tiny medieval weapons.

As the smoke cleared, they found something unusually bizarre besides finding many large lances and nearly a hundred swords. Leading this swarm of deadly weapons was a young red-haired girl in an Eylstadt uniform who apparently controlled them with magic. It was another Witch who did not use a Striker Unit to fly and had dozens of weapons to the same.

"Everyone, now!"

The red-haired girl called out to the weapons as if they were living objects. The lances proceeded to wipe out all the enemy planes at the same time. Some planes were impaled multiple times, and some retaliated with by firing their rear-mounted guns. A few luckily broke the magic surrounding the lances and destroyed them, but a few more came in struck back.

The Witches from 501st stood in awe as the vast destruction of the enemy air fleet. More specifically, the gawked at the lances homing in on their targets, something that was impossible even with their current rocket launchers. They cover their eyes as the strange Witch soared past two more 109s as the swords shredded their wings and fuselages.

Her real target was one last Stuka trying to finish off Eylstadt's artillery batteries. Other than the swords, Izetta had only one lance to use that was the one she rode on.

"Go!"

The Witch imbued her lance with magic again as she hopped off. The last of the lances pierced the final Stuka dive by the wing, causing to crash harmlessly away from the mountainside. Izetta panicked a little as she fell from the sky. Only the handle piece of the broken lance saved her.

Although the Witch held on, Gertrude and the other Witches found her descending rapidly. They dived downward and accelerated fast to their location. Alice trailed behind them as they caught to their new friend.

"Give us your hand!"

"Grab on already, will ya!?"

Gertrude and Francesca offered their hands on both sides to the Witch. She found herself confused for the moment, which was she to fall off. They quickly retrieved both hands as they decelerated. As the girls from the 501st approached the ground, they stopped by the nearest trench and let go.

Alice checked to see if Izetta was okay after the encounter. Again, not bad, she thought to herself. She then watched over the Eylstadt soldiers who were stunned by both her and the red-haired Witch, especially a young blonde boy who dropped what looked like a family photo.

"Looks like we're late for the party."

Alice commented as she landed by a few older Eylstadt soldiers.

"And who are you?"

"We are heroes saving the say, that's what!"

Izetta groans as she pushed herself upward. The fall was long, but she still landed on the soft ground with her feet, causing her to land on her knees. The young soldiers and the older ones turned to her as she regained her senses.

"Hey, are you alright?"

The young boy asked the girl as she jerked.

"Y-yes, I'm fine!"

Alice sighed with relief as she approached her.

"Glad to hear it. It's a good thing you're still alive."

Gertrude still had much to ask from these two guests.

"What is going here!? Please state your purpose of being here!"

Alice retorted as she faced the advancing Germanian tanks and burning wreckage.

"I don't think you're in a position to talk like that. Besides, the enemy is not going to wait for our introductions either. Right, Izetta?"

Izetta looked away from the devastation. It was already so much for her to bear, even when she just all the enemy planes. However, Alice was right; there was still mare work that had to be done.

A bunch of swords then flew around the ground. The Eylstadt soldiers and 501st Witches remained started as Francesca exclaimed.

"Swords? In the air?"

"Sorry, I just found all of these weapons and will use them for the moment."

Izetta went to an anti-tank rifle mounted in the trench. She asked the soldier nearby who mounted it.

"Also, would you mind if I borrowed this?"

"Uh, no?"

"Sorry, I'll make it up to you later!"

Ignoring the soldier, she grabbed the anti-tank rifle and enveloped it with her magic. The soldiers stared in shock as the rifle lifted into the air while she rode on. Green sparkles trailed behind her as she took flight along with the enchanted swords.

Alice also walked forward as fire lit from her right gauntlet. She patted her pouch with the other to check on Tipler.

"You okay in there?"

"I'm fine, and Izetta-san also sounds okay."

"Just wanted to make sure. Now hold on again, things are going to get a little hot."

As Alice snuck away, the Witches and soldiers remained distracted over Izetta facing the enemy directly. She launched her swords to pelt the Panzer III that attacked a neighboring emplacement. The turret turned to her direction. The swords surrounded the tank as Izetta what the witnesses found unthinkable. By concentrating so much magic as the Witches could tell, she lifted the tank into the air and flipped it over, sending it crashing onto the ground upside down.

Another Panzer III opened fire with its machine guns, prompting to call on her swords to deflect the bullets. She flew towards the next tank and flipped over again with ease by using her magic.

The next tank got a clear shot of Izetta fired a round from its cannon. Within the split second, she noticed the round aiming towards her.

"Everyone!"

All the swords came together and weaved into a thick tile of metal. They slanted at an angle as the round impacted them. Although of the swords ended up bent, the cannon shell deflected into the air that startled the crew inside. The White Witch then proceeded to flip over the other tank as well.

The Eylstadt soldiers gazed in awe over the Witch's battle with the tanks. The armored vehicles gave them such a hard time that it almost felt impossible to win. But this little girl charged in and began flipping them over like they are nothing.

The Witches were also startled over this revelation. Gertrud was the most influenced as she wondered if the Witch has strength magic that outstripped her own. For once in her career, she found a hint of jealousy among the other Witches.

On the other hand, Francesca was nearly scared out of her mind while Erica had a soft, smug grin.

"Who the hell is this girl? Is she insane!?"

"I don't care; she's not the enemy."

Something else bothered them shortly after that. The Eylstadt soldiers were the first to discover it.

"Look over there!"

The Witches faced the fountains where a bright light shone at them. It blinked repeatedly at three different intervals, something that Gertrude knew was not coincidental. Francesca looked away from the light and yawned.

"It's just a blinking light."

"No, it's Morse."

Among the three Witches, only Gertrude could understand Morse Code. She translated the signal as it shone to everyone is Coenenberg, including the three Witches in the air.

"I am…Ortfine?"

By saying the name, the Eylstadt jumped as they focused on the light.

On the other side of the mountains, the light being shone was the nearby soldiers improvising to get a message across. They shone a bright light towards the battlefield and covered it with a wooden board create a type of message. They were already stunned to find Alice and Izetta working alongside their allies in defeating the enemy force. Fine decided to intervene by calling upon those on the battlefield to fight for her.

"My fellow soldiers and agents of Karsland. The two girls you see fighting are two of my greatest friends. The one with the red hair is my dearest of them all, and the second coming of the White Witch who protects us. Fight with them and protect the freedom of our nation!"

After Gertrude mentally translated the message, her mouth remained open and let the air dry up the inner walls of her cheeks. Of the two girls, she eyed on the mentioned red-haired girl who attacked a Panzer IV. She fired several shells on its armor with her anti-tank rifle, only to find it ineffective. She then got in front of the tank and charged her another shell with her magic to pierce through the tank.

"It…it can't be…"

"Trude?"

Upon hearing Erica call her by her nickname, she snapped back to reality. She went back to her squad mates.

"Hartmann, Lucchini, we're reloading and heading back immediately!"

"Huh!?"

Gertrude ignored Lucchini's shock as she eyed on the girls out on the battlefield.

She eyed on the other gun emplacements along the trenches as she gave orders.

"We will move forward and defend those two girls from enemy air attacks. Tell this to our agents nearby and prepare for another sortie!"

The Witches complied as they flew over the trenches. Some of the Eylstadt soldiers were confused for the moment. But the more senior officers knew what to do as they unmounted their weapons and moved out of the trench.

"You heard the lady! Let's get out there and fight for our Witch!"

As the soldiers charged with heightened morale, they ran out to open fire on the remaining Germanian infantry squads that were now without tank support. More enemy infantry remained helpless as Izetta literally threw the tanks into each other.

At another defensive line, Alice test herself against the enemy tank. She propelled herself with her flames as she homed in on a Panzer III. She concentrated vast amounts heat into one hand as it focused into a ball of fire. When she set her foot on the ground, she hurled the spherical ball of flame at the tank. At first, it looked like the tank absorbed the fireball. Moments later, the vents burst with flames as the entire tank chassis and turret exploded all at once.

Another Panzer III opened fire with its machine guns, but Alice charged forward through the gunfire. She created another sword of hot flame with her right hand, and when she got close, she sliced the tank's chassis horizontally.

A squad of terrified Germanian soldiers opened fire on the Alice. She responded by rising into the air with her flame-based propulsion, using her wind power to blow their weapons into the air, then fired a wave of fire with her hands. Those who weren't immediately burnt to a crisp as their uniforms covered in fire. Alice then did the same thing to another squad of retreating soldiers.

One last tank, a Panzer IV from a neighboring tank platoon, fired a cannon shell near her position that nearly blew off her leg. Alice responded by cruising toward the tank again. But instead of a ball of flame, she concentrated all of the power into her right gauntlet. When she got to the front of the tank, she punched it with her empowered gauntlet.

Alice then returned to the trench where the Eylstadt forces watched. They wanted to call out to her as she nonchalantly returned to their position while the tank was still active. The Panzer IV aimed its cannon at her…just before the tank vented out sparks and exploded as well. The blast threw the tank's turret into the air and crashed onto the ground by her side, all while wearing a fearless smirk. She then turned around as she chased after the Germanian troops, causing the Eylstadt forces to follow up behind her.

Up in the air, the Witches from the 501st Joint Fighter Wing also launched their counterattack. They were busy dealing with the few remaining Germanian planes that still threatened the skies. Gertrud and Erica both got one more kill against a couple of Me 109s that engaged them. Both were gunned down through the propellers' engines and burst into flames. Francesca got another dive bomber that retreated, which crashed into a retreating Panzer III. They altogether intercepted the last three Me 109s that attacked them in three directions. They grouped together and spiraled into the air while deflecting the gunfire coming from their machine guns and reaching a far higher altitude. They then descended while performing a three-way helix. They all engaged the three remaining planes one at a time until all three were destroyed.

The skies were finally clear, and it was on the side of the Eylstadt forces, something that Witches never thought would happen. And they knew who to thank for assisting them in that, the red-haired Witch who continued throwing the below.

Of the three Witches from the 501st, Gertrude was the most influenced by the girl's actions, but not just by her magic. The message in Morse code flipped a switch somewhere in her brain. She always held a strong code of honor as a soldier of Karsland, but this was something far different. Rather than devotion to a country, it was that of a single person for someone who knew the legend of the White Witch, and she felt like she herself violated that code. If it's true, then she must respect that code, just like all Witches.

The battle started reaching to a close as the Eylstadt forces pressed on. Izetta and Alice continued to trash the tanks while the accompanying soldiers gunned down the enemy infantry. Izetta slammed another Panzer III deep onto the ground. Alice rammed into another and tore through its frame before incarnating another infantry squad. They together finished with an empowered anti-tank round and a fireball to take out the last Panzer III and Panzer IV each.

The two girls landed on the ground together as they observed their surroundings. The Germanian soldiers were on full retreat, and the Eylstadt soldiers had victory in their grasp. The two faced other as Alice commented.

"It looks like we did it."

"We did."

Izetta nodded as Alice turned back to the mountains.

"I think it's time you checked on the princess. I bet she's been worried while you were gone."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to stay around here and have a little more fun while were. You can relax while I continue giving this scum what they deserve!"

The unnerved Izetta nodded in agreement as she raised her rifle into the air and traveled back to the mountains. Alice, on the other hand, lit her flames again with glee as she took this battle elsewhere beyond.

* * *

The sun was already set as the battle concluded. At the start of the day, it looked hopeless for the Eylstadt troops and their Karsland allies. But that all changed in a matter of hours.

Dozens of scrapped tanks and aircraft covered the plains of Coenenberg. But most of these were not Renaults, but rather Germanian Panzers and Stuka dive bombers. Hundreds of corpses also laid on the ground, all of them wearing Germanian uniforms. Many were gunned down, but a large chunk of them were charred, boiled form inside, or even incinerated to the bone. And standing on top of those corpses and destroyed vehicles were Eylstadt troops.

Alice was among them all as she celebrated with the Eylstadt forces. A few moments before, the Germanian forces were either captured or in full retreat. She even heard rumors that the entire Germanian force, which occupied many towns on the other side of the river, started running away immediately after hearing the sudden defeat at the hand of two girls. Alice decided to kick them while they were down by burning several retreating Germanian soldiers and spend the next few hours destroying enemy tanks. She hoped that it wouldn't be long before the invading force hears about the sudden turn of events and start leaving the country altogether to avoid being wiped out. Her last act was incinerating a Germanian officer with her own hands who continued to fight, all in front of the Eylstadt troops. Although some found it unnerved over such a power, and the soldiers who were taken prisoner were scared out of their mind of such a power, it was drowned out by the many soldiers of the duchy that celebrated her efforts.

Alice currently leaned on a burning Panzer IV, surrounded by the Eylstadt troops who cheered for her efforts. In the middle of it all, she spoke to Tipler on the side, who remained hidden in her pouch.

"So, what do you say? You think I did a good job?"

"You are fearless for such a young girl, Alice-sama. Once again, I thought you would be dead for sure. But again, I was wrong."

"Oh, come on! I did good, didn't I?"

"Yes, yes, you did."

Alice returned to the soldiers as they went to her. They all asked her questions like how she managed to gain such powerful abilities, what was her home country, and how she managed to do it all without a Striker Unit. She got buried in so many questions and did have time to answer them all.

Alice got a glimpse of Izetta in the air. This time, Fine rode behind her just like last time. It was the perfect time for the Psionic to escape the barrage of questions aimed at her.

"Ah, here she comes!"

The soldiers heard her as they faced the Witch descending onto the top of the tank. Both girls got off the rifle to stand before the crowd. The soldiers saluted to the pair as they continued to cheer.

"To our heroes!"

"For our Witch!"

"Glory to Princess Ortfine!"

"To the freedom of Eylstadt!"

Alice took the time to get some space away from the men. She jumped up and got both hands on the tank's treads before pulling herself up. She rested on the edge as she congratulated the Witch.

"So, we finally did it! Didn't we, Izetta!?"

Izetta was happy, that was for sure. But at the same time, her eyes teared before the princess.

"I…I just couldn't stand it."

Fine wrapped her arms around the crying White Witch in comforting her.

"You're such a fool, Izetta…But, I'm glad that you're safe. Thank you…"

"Princess…"

Alice gave a smug look away from the two girls. Not that she pressured it, but they were awfully close for hugging each other after so long.

 _I swear there's more to those two girls than just a simple friendship._

Alice's train of thoughts broke as she heard someone barging through the soldiers. Izetta and Fine broke away from each other upon hearing chatter from the soldiers. They all heard a demanding voice coming through the crow.

"I must see this at once!"

Barkhorn carved a path through the Eylstadt soldiers to reach the tank. She was out of her Striker Unit and walked without legwear that made the soldier gaze on her. Erica followed on her right while Lucchini walked tirelessly on her right.

"Trude, what's going on here?"

"I was just about to relax for once. Why are we coming out here anyway!?"

Gertrud stopped just after reaching the center of the crowd. The soldiers did not know what was going on. They were a little cautious despite being Witches and part of a resistance movement. They were still from the nation that tried to conquer the duchy a few hours ago. The Flight Lieutenant called out to them.

"Is the Witch of Weisse Hexe here?"

The soldiers turned to Izetta. Even when they broke off and Izetta stepped forward, the princess remained close. The soldiers also had their weapons ready if she tried something funny.

What they did not expect afterward was Gertrude's next move. Rather than a challenge or drawing a gun, she went down on one knee and kneeled before Izetta. Even Erica, who idolized her, was surprised over her act. Francesca also let out a big "Eh?" over the officer's act.

"Trude, what are you…"

Gertrude silenced Erica by grabbing her arm. Her immense strength dragged her and Francesca down, each with only one hand. She pulled them both down until they landed on one knee and faced the ground like she was.

"Both of you, kneel! You are both standing in front of one who descends from the legendary Weisse Hexe!"

Francesca still did not understand what she meant, for she apparently never heard of such a clan until now. On the other hand, Erica nearly jumped over the name. Both she and Gertrude knew the legend. She gazed at the red-haired girl who blushed in shock and embarrassment. Francesca looked up, still oblivious to what happened, which share the same expression as Alice.

Fine stepped forward and called upon them to stand up.

"That is enough. You are at ease."

Gertrude was the first to rise, followed by her two subordinates.

"Forgive me, Princess of Eylstadt. Are you the one who watches over the White Witch?"

"I am. Please introduce yourself."

"Flight Lieutenant Gertrud Barkhorn, former officer of the Karsland Luftwaffe, agent of the Karsland resistance, and member of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing."

The Karsland officer turned her head. Erica and Francesca both shivered as they bowed and gave their own introductions.

"P-Pilot Officer Erica Hartmann, soldier of Karsland and member of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing!"

"P-P-Pilot Officer Francesca Lucchini of Sovrana Aeronautica Romagniana and member of 501st, Y-Your…your…Your Majesty!"

Alice still had no idea over the Witches' sudden behavior. Until a few moments ago, they looked like rough and tough soldiers who fought against their own people. But now, they completely cast their military rank aside and started worshipping the pair in front of them.

"Sorry, but what's going on here?"

Gertrude answered Alice as she turned to Fine and Izetta.

"As Witches, we are here to serve the White Witch and her royal companion of whom she serves. We devout our lives to you, Princess Fine and…"

"Izetta."

"And Izetta, Witch among Witches and clan among clans, Weisse Hexe!"

The Psionic girl remained confused over the matter. The soldiers around her began chanting what sounded like the national anthem of Eylstadt. The trio of Witches stood firm in front of Fine and Izetta, even when they took their eyes away from them. None of it helped Alice and even Tipler, who remained hidden from plain sight, took a peek outside the pouch to see what happened. Perhaps they had a lot more to learn from this matter than what they anticipated.

Inside the Archduke's bedroom, Schneider and Muller both received news about the recent victory against the Germanians. Schneider was surprised more than ever while Muller had his concerns as he remained on the phone.

"What!? The entire Germanian force is retreating!? Annihilated by two girls! And one is the Witch of Weisse Hexe? With Princess Fine!?"

"We need to know everything immediately, including the testimonies of all the soldiers involved."

"Who cares about that! What matters is that we won, right?"

Schneider celebrated as Muller hung up the phone. They both heard the weak voice of the Archduke, now completely unable to move, who seemed to overhear the entire conversation.

"Fine and the White Witch, huh?"

The old man tilted his head to the painting of the legendary woman with remaining energy. At last, he felt unimaginable joy in his long life.

"I…see…"

With happiness flowing through his lifeless body, he closed his eyes to go into a sleep of which he would never wake up. Not even with the screams of his trusted General calling out his name.

"Your Excellency….Your Excellency!"

* * *

 _And that's the end of Episode 3._

 _Now, for a few examples regarding the lists metioned above._

 _One will be a list for Gertrud Barkhorn of Strike Witches:_

 ** _Versus:_**

 _Preparing to engage Neuroi. (Vs Neuroi)_

 _This is not the Empire I used to know… (vs Germania)_

 _You dare dishonor the name of Karsland! (vs Germania)_

 _I understand your obsession of taking down a Witch… (vs Bassler)_

 _This dogfight will not belong to you, Captain Bassler (vs Bassler)_

 _An unmanned machine can't stand against a human. (vs Unmanned Weapon)_

 _Just treat it like a Neuroi and automated machines are nothing. (vs Unmanned Weapon)_

 _Such a disrespectful way to conduct war… (vs Unmanned Weapon)_

 ** _Damage:_**

 _Neuroi beams are nothing to me. (vs Neuroi, little/none)_

 _To think they abandoned Witches for this (vs Germania, little/none)_

 _The homeland has really fallen hard with this kind of attack (vs Germania, little/none)_

 _Tsch…they sure know how to fight a Witch (vs Germania, major w/ high health)_

 _What happened, how did they get this powerful? (vs Germania, major w/ high health)_

 _Agh…you have become a powerful opponent, Bassler (vs Bassler, major w/ high health)_

 _No…not with Chris still… (vs Neuroi, major w/ low health)_

 _No, it can't end like this…Not with the homeland still… (vs Germania, major w/ low health)_

 _Have they really surpassed us? Damnit! (vs Germania, major w/ low health)_

 ** _Support:_**

 _Erica, fall back in line! (defend w/ Erica)_

 _Stay behind, Weisse Hexe! (defend w/ Izetta)_

 _Stand way and watch a real soldier of Karsland! (attack w/ Erica)_

 _Weisse Hexe, let us fight with you! (attack w/ Izetta)_

 ** _Death:_**

 _Wait…Chris, no! (vs Neuroi)_

* * *

 _And another for Captain Bassler of Izetta._

 ** _Versus:_**

 _The only to defeat Witch will be me! (vs Izetta/501st)_

 _Weisse Hexe or not, you are my enemy! (vs Izetta/501st)_

 _Time to meet your end, White Witch! (vs Izetta)_

 _I shall shoot a traitor like you from the sky! (vs Karsland Witches)_

 _Gertrude Barkhorn, I challenge you to dogfight! (vs Gertrude)_

 _That hat does not belong to you, Erica Hartmann! (vs Erica Hartmann)_

 ** _Damage:_**

 _As expected from a Witch… (vs Izetta/501st, major w/ high health)_

 _This isn't over yet, White Witch! (vs Izetta, major w/ low health)_

 ** _Support:_**

 _Fall in line, soldier! (attack w/ Germania)_

 ** _Death:_**

 _Err…My plane's taken too much damage!_

 _I will not forget this! (vs Izetta/501st)_

 _If you have other ideas, definitely share them._

* * *

 _Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter._


	8. Episode 4-1

_Time for Episode 4. Here, we finally get to another plot of another work other than Izetta. Well, the story will still follow Izetta, but it will not be the main focus for the next few chapters._

 _This will be separated into three parts again as usual._

* * *

Nighttime covered the nearby castle in Eylstadt. Two weeks passed since the battle at Coenenberg that devastated its green fields, but the nation recently returned to a normal state…if only it weren't for a special occasion.

The citizens gathered around a brightly lit up town square. A well-dressed Princess Fine kneeled before three old men by a church. Two men on the sides held a book and a scepter while the man on the center held a sword in front of her. The three Witches of the 501st watched the ceremony from behind as the man in the center began.

"Ortfine Fredericka, the Archduchess will be the Lady of Landsbruck, and guardian of its valleys and roads. She will be the liberator of the Alps and the ruler of Eylstadt. I ask you, are you prepared to receive that title?"

"I am."

"Do you swear to offer yourself up to the service of the land and its people?"

"I swear."

"Then kiss the blade that is the soul of our ancestors and make your vow."

And kiss she did. She took the sword in her hands as the old man congratulated.

"Blessings upon the new Archduchess of Eylstadt!"

The crowd roared with cheers as they praised their new ruler. Alice, on the other hand, stood by the corner with Tipler peeking from her pouch. While she gained the trust of the new Archduchess of Eylstadt and Izetta, she was still a stranger among the people of this country. Her presence would come out as odd, not to mention risk revealing Tipler.

Alice talked to the said Murlock as she observed.

"So she's finally done it."

"To think that her father died, right before she came home…"

"I was sure she would get over it at some point. From what I understand, he lived a long life running and protecting this country. Can't say I have anything against him."

"Why do you have to be so callous?"

"A-Am I really being that?"

"The girl must be suffering hard right now. She must be putting up a face just to calm the people."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Am I wrong?"

"No, but you're saying that like she was forced to serve the people at her own expense. I may not be royalty, but even I get the feeling she's doing this because she _wants_ to protect the people. Just like how _we_ want to save the world."

Tipler remained silent. He doubted that saving the world is what Alice desired, but he never thought about the princess being willing to sacrifice her life for the people either. And that's not all as Alice stated.

"We both know she's not alone. In fact, she could have the best friend anyone could have."

At that moment, Fine went to the crowd and called to the masses who gathered around her.

"Fellow people of Eylstadt, people of the Allied nations, and all of humanity. Hear me. As of now, humanity is being engulfed in the flames of war. Throughout the world, nations and cities are ravaged by the threat of the Neuroi, which consume the planet's land and attack indiscriminately."

Alice could visualize, like a black-and-white film, the Neuroi appearing as they did decades ago. They emerged from the black clouds resembling black planes before firing red beams from the red spots dotted around their craft that tore through historic landmarks and cities.

"Yet even with the power of the current Witch clans, madness and disaster continued. The people of the European continent can attest to that well, as the Empire of Germania abandons its kin in its quest for world domination. In this nation of Eylstadt, the loss of my father, the former Archduke, was a grave blow in such a dire hour. I'm sure that there are some who wonder if a young, inexperienced girl such as myself can take the helm of state in such a situation."

The next visual was the marching soldiers of Germania who invaded Livonia and Galia. She could picture the infantry and tanks firing their weapons at scores of civilians and outright executing them without hesitation. She snapped back into reality as Fine declared.

"But my people, be not afraid! We have a guardian who is every bit the equal of this ancient sword of our ancestors!"

The Archduchess raised her sword into the air.

"Let me introduce you. A Witch adored and honored by all Witch clans throughout the world. The descendant of the legendary White Witch, the guardian of Eylstadt! My friend, Izetta of Weisse Hexe!"

The sword in her hand hovered into the air and radiated waves of energy before the people. Alice smirked from the side as she anticipated what came next. Large cameras started flashing, and the reporters quickly replaced lightbulbs that burnt out.

They witnessed Izetta flying by with a large anti-tank rifle. Unlike the last time she made an appearance, Izetta wore a white gown that resembled the one used by the legendary Weisse Hexe. Her weapon was a creation from Suomus, customized with a seat and handlebars for her personal use. She stunned the reporters as she used the flying sword cut down the nearby stone pillars and sent them crumbling to the ground.

"Some of you may have caught wind of this. You have heard rumors or outright witnessed a single Witch who shot down the invading army's planes one after another and destroyed their waves of tanks, thus defending the fortress of Coenenberg. These rumors are true. Her power surpasses the latest of human-made weapons and outstrips that possessed by all other Witches."

Fine raised her hands to Izetta as she flew above. Gertrude also raised their arms to the side as the three Witches levitated in the air. Francesca and Erica were just as surprised as the reporters who witnessed them. They found their Striker Units and weapons coming towards them, grabbed their armaments and readied their legs for insertion. They sprouted their familiars' ears and tails as they started their propellers immediately in midflight.

"Even now, the Witch clans of Europe bow before her power and honor her wishes no matter what the cost may be, the defense of Eylstadt and its people!"

Izetta descended to the Archduchess as she offered her hand. The two rose up together as did the book and scepter in the other old men's hands. The new ruler of Eylstadt raised her sword as she announced.

"I say to my beloved people, and the world. Anyone who dares to threaten witch kind or this very principality is an enemy to all Witch clans, and shall face the wrath of the White Witch, the Witch among Witches and highest of all clans, Weisse Hexe!"

Alice remained confident throughout the entire ceremony. She was certain that this was going to go smoothly, especially with herself out of the way. However, it did seem off that she managed to pull this all off within a couple of weeks. She guessed that the now crowned Archduchess was really determined to make an impression for her people.

However, the Psionic girl noticed another woman peeking behind elsewhere. She was a woman with blonde hair tied to a bun with some red streaks at the front. Alice pointed her out well thanks to her black and red fur coat and large round glasses.

"That's perfect. Calm and composed, just like we planned."

Alice could hear those words muttering from the woman. She did not know what she meant and wanted to investigate, but she was a big yawn coming. Her mind switched to waiting for the ceremony to end, so she finally can get some sleep.

* * *

The sun shone over the capital of Germania. The original capital of what used to be Karsland became a hive for the Neuroi that made itself home in the nation's territory. Even with its presence, the fact it never touched the majority of the people meant an uneasy relationship between the two. That was especially so with the militaristic architecture of the new capital.

The palace of Neue-Berlin displayed its might with lines of anti-air batteries in the courtyard. Armed guards, armored cars, and tanks patrolled the streets. The Kaiser who ruled the nation was not alone either as lines of commanding officers and soldiers stood before him.

"Commander Grosskopf, I heard that you issued a full retreat from the Duchy of Eylstadt. Care to explain why?"

Kaiser Otto, the ruler of Germania, rested on the arm of his throne. He spoke to a bald army officer who bowed before him. The man was called upon to face the Kaiser a few weeks after he ordered the entire force to retreat.

"Your Majesty, we regret to inform you that the force responsible for invading Eylstadt…was annihilated."

"Annihilated?"

"Nearly our entire force was wiped out, and all forward bases fell as a result. We had no choice but to withdraw from the nation completely."

"And why is that?"

"It wasn't Eylstadt's troops, nor the Karsland resistance fighters. They apparently have some kind of secret weapon! No, two secret weapons at that!"

"Two secret weapons? Are you sure they're not standard Witches?"

"They weren't ordinary Witches, Your Majesty! Neither of them!"

"Oh? Care to explain."

"The first of which was a young blonde girl who manipulated fire and wind, wiping out soldiers with effort."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, she did not even have a Striker Unit, yet she destroyed a large portion of our force with her own hands! The infantry was burned alive, and her power easily crushed the armored battalion! She attacked our headquarters, too, and would have gotten all of us should we have remained there!"

The Kaiser remained silent, waiting for him to finish his report.

"And the other one?"

"Well…the soldiers say the other one was a little girl flying on a rifle. The Eylstadt soldiers seem to worship her as some kind of White Witch. Even the Karsland forces bowed before her!"

The Kaiser's silence made Grosskopf panic even more as he acted desperately.

"It's true! Everyone said the same thing! The Witches and Eylstadt soldiers called out her name. We even noticed a Morse signal telling them that she's the next of coming of Weisse Hexe!"

"Weisse Hexe..."

Upon hearing that name, it took a few seconds before chuckling. He burst into laughter as if he heard a joke. His hysterics made the bowing officer confused and nervous at the same time. After taking a moment to catch his breath, the Kaiser turned to his aide, a blonde man in a noble blue uniform.

"Did you hear that, Elliot? To think we actually found her, the legendary Witch of Weisse Hexe!"

"The reports already show she's the real deal."

"Of course, we already have the news right here."

The Kaiser took a stash of newspapers out from the side. Although it was an Allied newspaper, it showed photos of the Archduchess's coronation followed by the introduction of the White Witch. He faced the bald officer as he displayed the papers.

"Lieutenant General, the information from you and your men is more than believable. No severe punishment will be conducted."

Grosskopf showed joy, which was crushed when the Kaiser continued.

"However, as the commanding officer responsible for the invasion, I'm taking away your lands. You will be demoted from your rank and set as the head of a prison camp."

The officer now sweated and the Kaiser noticed the man shaking over his punishment.

"What's wrong? Do you protest? I have three new camps being opened in Livonia, so you're free to pick whichever you choose."

"O-Of course not! T-Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Very well, you are dismissed."

The now-former Lieutenant General marched out of the room. It was now only the Kaiser, his aide, and his other generals. The ruler of Germania, however, only conversed with his aide.

"We'll have to reconsider many of our plans."

"From the tone of your voice, you must be very enthusiastic. First, you challenge the standing of Witches in the modern era, and now you are going against two new adversaries, one of them being the Witch who rules them all."

"My blood has been boiling since we confirmed her existence. I want this legendary Witch captured alive."

"Your Majesty, if I may speak."

"Of course. That's why you're here, Elliot."

"Our original objective in the invasion of Eylstadt was to secure a passage to the southern states of Romagna and Venezia, which have now fallen into civil unrest. That way, we will have an easier way to send troops into the Mediterranean and Africa. Please don't forget that."

"You are right. But with Eylstadt revealing the presence of the White Witch, the clans throughout the world obey her command and that of the Archduchess. Capturing the nation is no longer possible for us."

"Understood. Now that the Eylstadt is out of reach, we should prioritize defeating and capturing the Witch of Weisse Hexe."

"Our agent has already interrogated the soldiers who retreated from Eylstadt and is currently seeking recruits. It won't be long before we can make our move against the Witch."

Elliot nodded as he continued.

"If I may suggest."

"Go ahead."

"For now, only a few clans appear to support the White Witch. Even if Eylstadt gains support from those within their military, the Allies have not fully dedicated their support. It is likely that they'll send her away from Eylstadt to display her power."

The Kaiser went back to the newspaper as he eyed on the photos showing three girls kneeling before Izetta and Fine.

"Indeed, and the Witches appear to be Karsland agents."

"Gertrude Barkhorn, Erica Hartmann, and Francesca Lucchini. Former members of our old nation's military and allying countries."

"I always knew they would put a fight against our new force, but to think they would cast their lot with the White Witch immediately upon her discovery. This will an interesting fight indeed."

Kaiser Otto laughed once again as he gave his next order.

"Call back Major Berkman. We will postpone all operations regarding Eylstadt and suspend our offensive action against the Allies for now. We shall take this time to reorganize our troops and rebuild our forces for what is to come."

"And what if the Allies decide to take action?"

"That will not be necessary for they, too, are reeling from the recent attacks. And besides, we still have the backing of…them."

Elliot remained silent, understanding what he meant.

* * *

The next day, the newly crowned Archduchess and Izetta awoke within the main palace of Landsbruck. After the ceremony, they immediately returned to the capital, although they insisted in walking there instead of using Izetta's flight magic. Everyone else returned to the palace to sleep. The Psionic girl and her Murlock pet, which no one saw enter the building, were also given a room in the far corner of the palace.

"Do you think our guest is alright?"

The words came from another woman who stood beside Izetta and Fine. To all of Eylstadt, she was the commander of Eylstadt's royal guard, composed of all women who now served the Archduchess. They watched the door to the Psionic girl's given room for it remained locked throughout the morning. Fine wondered how Alice managed to sleep well past morning hours that she unknowingly missed breakfast.

"She has been asleep for a long time now, but she was up long past midnight, I would not expect her to wake up at a normal time."

"Shall I knock on the door then?"

"There is no need, Bianca. She is our guest here as much as Izetta, please do not intrude her."

But someone else thought otherwise. A young girl passed them, carrying a stepstool with towels on top of them. She banged on the door loudly to the anxiety of Fine.

"WAKE! UP! OUR! GUEST!"

"Lotte, please, do not…"

The door opened up with a loud slam. The girls flinched as a tired Alice appeared in front of them. She remained in the same clothes as before, not caring how much she likely dirtied the bed. The girl yawned out to them as she stretched her arms around.

"Boy, I never thought that staying up until midnight would make me ever so sleepy."

Her pet then hopped over to Alice's side as he complained.

"I kept trying to wake you up, Alice-sama. But even the maids here don't seem to hear me."

Fine jumped over how the Murlock simply showed himself without thinking. She could view the faces of Bianca and Lotte without actually seeing them.

"T-Tipler?"

"Please forgive her, miss. Even I did not know…hm?"

The Murlock turned to what was why Fine jumped. He caught the eyes of the young maid girl who left her eyes wide open. She dropped her stool, which slid its towels towards Tipler as it fell over.

"A-a-a-a…"

After a few moments, Lotte let out a loud squee. She immediately wrapped her arms around Tipler and hugged him right up to her chest.

"Whaa?"

Alice also jumped over what the little maid just did.

"Tipler!"

"Lotte, what are you doing!?"

Lotte ignored Alice and Bianca as she continued cuddling the little being.

"It's a cute little rabbit!"

Fine intervened first as she placed her hand by her arms.

"Lotte, please let him go!"

The maid jerked to the Archduchess in anxiety. She spontaneously dropped Tipler onto the rug as she ran away.

"Forgive me for not knowing you had a pet! Please let me get a bed mat right away!"

"Lotte…"

Tipler shook in frustration as he stood back right-side up. He could not understand the maid's infatuation with him. Since when did people find him so cute? Even Alice did not understand either as she gazed at the maid beside Fine.

"What's with that girl?"

"Lotte is my personal maid. Forgive her for being…"

"A little airheaded?"

Fine nodded as she turned to her commander of the royal guard.

"Bianca, please get Lotte to calm down. We will take care of things from here."

"U-Understood, Princess."

The royal guard bowed before walking down the hallway. Now it was only Alice, Tipler, Fine, and Izetta together again. The Archduchess and White White turned to Alice as she picked up Tipler and placed him her pouch.

"In any case, that sure was a nice sleep! I never had such a soft bed in my life! And you, Tipler?"

"Yes, it was…very nice, Alice-sama."

For once, Fine gave a little smile to the duo.

"Do you ever have any beds like this? Guess not since technology seems nonexistent in your world."

Tipler shook his head.

"On the contrary, my former master had one during the time she took care of me."

"Former master? I guess that's how you manage to come from the future. What was life exactly like before then?"

"It was…miserable."

"I mean…how miserable?"

Everyone listened in on Tipler as they went down the hallway together.

"To know that, you must understand the system that traps the Murlocks in a terrible cycle. You see, my entire species operates as a hive. My former master told me to think about ants or bees."

Fine was the only one who could figure that out easily.

"Ants and bees…You mean like a queen bee, right?"

"She breeds many of us male Murlocks who do all the hard labor. That includes harvesting, digging, and mating with the Queen to make more of us, including the next Queen to take her place. She is also the only one who can outlive the rest of us."

Izetta wondered what Tipler meant by that.

"How long exactly?"

"Over 60 years."

The other girls jumped over that statement. For normal rabbits, they would only live for at least a couple decades at best. But now, they see a creature who outlives them more than four times. Alice was the most shocked as someone who did not learn much about nature while Fine was even more intrigued.

"60 years!?"

"And how long do you normally live for?"

Tipler did not understand why they jumped over his sudden life expectancy but went to Fine's question.

"Around the same amount. However, due to circumstances, we only live for around for 20 years."

"Why is that? Did the Vilag do something to you people?"

Tipler nodded in regret.

"The Vilag use us for all sort of things. Above all, they use us as slave labor…and food."

Alice felt odd about the last part. Perhaps that's why Tipler stuttered over that last part.

"Food? You don't look like much for a meal."

"Not at my age, no. Even now, I'm still a child at around seven years. If we were to grow old enough, we would stand as tall as that maid girl who picked me up."

Alice wiped the sweat off her head. The others were just as surprised as she was.

"Sorry, that's beyond my comprehension."

"Forgive me; I never thought you would understand."

Fine continued in pressing the matter.

"Setting that aside, you say they use you for slave labor. What kind of labor?"

"They used us only for the basic needs including farming and creating paper. At an age of 30 years when we can no longer mate, the Vilag farm and slaughter us for food. And with their control of the queens and my people, none are even missed."

Izetta felt the most pit of the group.

"That's horrible..."

Fine felt the most anger among them.

"You may look like a little rabbit, but you have many characteristics close to a…human. And you're saying these Vilag just treat you like a bunch of….cattle?"

Tipler responded in shame.

"We had no other choice. Our kind is conditioned to treat the Vilag as if they were just like this White Witch. Otherwise, they would feed us to the Hunterbeasts and easily slaughter us, just like they did in their rebellion."

Alice twitched over the last word Tipler said.

"Rebellion?"

"According to my former master, there was a time when one of our own tried rebelling against our Vilag masters. It failed and resulted in a cruel punishment to those who did not bow to them."

"Do you know what kind of punishment?"

Tipler shook his small head. As much as Fine wanted to contain her anger, she had another question in mind.

"If I may ask, how did your former master find you?"

Tipler was hesitant at first. But the Archduchess and Witch could tell it was not easy for him to explain.

"My former master said she found me when wandering in our colony grounds. She said that I was very precious to her and raised me like a friend. She would teach me things from this very language I speak to the civilization of the Vilag."

Alice merely gave a positive reaction as he petted the Murlock.

"Almost sounds like she wants to liberate you, just like how the Karsland girls want to liberate their land and protect our little White Witch. Isn't that right, Archduchess?"

"Well…"

As per speak of the devil, four more figures came up. Gertrude Barkhorn led the group, flanked by her two squadmates.

"Weisse Hexe, we have finally found you."

They gave way to the other woman as the Lieutenant turned to Fine.

"Forgive us, Archduchess, but we found someone who wishes to speak to Weisse Hexe."

Alice and Tipler both gazed at the woman. She was the same one they found peeking around during the coronation ceremony. She gave off a far friendlier vibe compared to her more skeptical action last night.

"Looks like our girls are all ready to go. That was a perfect performance out there, more than enough to convince the people of your spectacular might!"

Alice was still unsure who exactly this girl was. Fine stepped forward to introduce the woman.

"This is Elvira Friedman, my personal tutor. She is a journalist who works with various newspapers and radio stations throughout Liberion. She is also the one who handles the advertising of Izetta as the second coming of Weisse Hexe."

"Advertising?"

Alice answered to Izetta as she patted her head.

"It means that you're a world celebrity now. Everyone around the world knows of your existence, including your power as a Witch."

"Celebrity?"

Elvira instead focused on the Psionic girl and her little companion. She sized up the girl and went as far as measuring her breasts to her embarrassment and poking her finger around Tipler.

"And look at we have here? We got a real talking bunny laying around here!"

"Excuse me, miss?"

Elvira ignored Tipler as she then rubbed her chin front of Alice.

"We got the girl from Liberion, too, who came into the mix."

"H-How did you know?"

"I know a cowgirl whenever I see one."

"Cowgirl!?"

Erica joined in with a joke. Francesca also rested behind her back with a smug smile.

"She does look like one. She's just missing a hat."

"And no Liberion cowgirl is better than our dear Shirley!"

"Officer Erica and Lucchini! That is not proper conduct!"

Alice ignored the squabble between the Witches from the 501st. Elvira was more than enough for her.

"Shirley?"

"They're talking about Charlotte Yeager of the 501st, the recently promoted Lieutenant and Liberion's top ace."

Francesca jumped over someone saying the full name of her best friend.

"Y-You know her, too?"

"Of course, she does. She works with us all the time. Or perhaps you've slept on the job for far too long."

Fine ignored the dueling glares between Francesca and Erica. She conversed with her tutor.

"You must be here for Izetta."

"Of course. She's the star player of Eylstadt, after all. I make sure she's well-polished and ready to go out when she faces the enemy and greets the other Witches."

"Tell me about it. She's just a young, adolescent girl with no military rank, yet they worship her like she's some kind of goddess."

Alice's comment provoked a glare from Lieutenant Barkhorn.

"Our respect for Weisse Hexe is per ancient tradition of our Witch clans. That does not mean we worship her!"

"Well, uh…"

Fine looked at the time on a nearby clock. There was already little time for them to stay around.

"In any case, we must get going then."

"Huh?"

Fine faced Alice to clarify.

"This afternoon, we will hold a meeting about the world's response to my coronation and Izetta's debut. We would like you to attend as well."

"Guess I have no choice then."

Alice scratched her head as they went along.

* * *

"So they finally revealed her presence. And now Karsland…no, the Witch clans are casting their support for her."

Berkman and Rickert read the newspaper at a bar within Germania. Rickert was the who felt pathetic over the crisis before them. Berkman still kept more than his composure.

"They want her to fight in front of the reporters and display her overwhelming power for the cameras. They even included the Karsland Witches to show the clans' support for the White Witch. Then the world will fully acknowledge the military, cultural, and political power of the Weisse Hexe legend."

"Nonetheless, the article is exaggerating. She only has support from three Witches. And only an armored battalion was defeated, not a division."

"Nonetheless…Our army has gone from an unstoppable force that rivals Witches to mere fodder for the one who leads them all. I can't blame the Allies for getting excited."

"When you think about it, it's frustrating to think that we let her go."

"On the contrary, His Majesty is enjoying the situation."

Rickert jerked to Berkman as he flipped over another page. The Major then turned to a man who their eyes on them.

"We've been told to start recruiting fellow soldiers for our upcoming battles against the White Witch. And with the delays to the offensive on all fronts and reorganization of our forces, we're allowed to use as much manpower and resources as we like."

The approaching man was Captain Bassler, who took a seat left of Berkman.

"Were you the one who called me?"

"Captain Bassler. We never met, yet you figured out it was me."

"I just looked for the shadiest guy at the bar. I'm more concerned about what the Special Unit wants with me."

Berkman nodded as he signaled the bartender for a glass of beer. He handed it over to Bassler along with the newspaper. They eyed on Izetta with contrasting emotions while Berkman went down to business.

"I want to hear what you have to say. You did not put it in your report, but I assume she was the one who shot down your men."

"Not just her."

"Oh?"

"Long before she appeared, there was another girl who fought beside her. A girl who used fire and air as a weapon and to propel herself."

"I heard the rumors myself. Another girl fought alongside the White Witch who managed to burn countless infantry divisions and blow up several tanks with mere fists and balls of fire. She is certainly something beyond a regular Witch."

"I shot her in the arm during our engagement. She's not as though as the other one. However…"

"That's when she showed up."

Bassler gulped his beer before confirming Berkman's assumption.

"Nobody would have believed me if I said it then. But now that the White Witch has gone public, I guess it doesn't matter."

Rickert's eyes widened in awe.

"Then it really was…"

Berkman continued to interview the Captain.

"So what do you think of her power? The White Witch, that is?"

"It's insane. Both she and the fire-wielding girl both decimated our men. Nothing we thought we knew helped. They were going 400 kilometers per hour, with the White Witch riding on a rifle with another girl, and they maneuvered like a barn swallow."

"That rifle was supposedly customized from the Imperial Armory, I'm told, though they certainly never gave it the ability to fly."

"She's not inside a vehicle, which makes her small and hard to hit, and she does not wear a Striker Unit. The fire girl may have lost the ability to fight well with an injured arm, but you can't just shoot the rifle to make her fall off. Clearly, they outmatched anyone in a dogfight."

"The Witch must sound invincible then."

Berkman shook his head in confident denial of Rickert's words.

"Of course, she isn't. If that were true, then Witches would be ruling the world already. Though in a sense, they already are."

Berkman chuckled at the irony as he eyed the newspaper photos with the Witches from 501st Joint Fighter Wing. Bassler glared at the man.

"That's not funny."

"No, but I mean what I say that Witches are not invincible, and I have two reasons to show it. You said that you confronted her from the Alps the day before the battle of Coenenberg."

"I can never forget that and…wait…"

"If she flew there, then it would have taken her and the princess a few minutes. They would have arrived long before the battle even began. But she did not appear until the last minute when the Eylstadt troops were on the verge of defeat, now why is that?"

Bassler had some doubts. She still appeared to be falling the last time he glimpsed the girls. The height they appeared would still be enough to seriously injure, let alone kill a person. It would take a while to reach Coenenberg under such injuries, especially with needed medical attention in mind.

"And the other reason?"

"The newspapers here are trying to propagate her power. A wiser move would have been to keep her presence a secret until she appeared in the heart of Neue-Berlin."

"You wouldn't…"

"If she were to do that, she would have killed the Kaiser and his cabinet. That would end the war with Germania immediately. So why did they instead go out of their way to display her prowess?"

Despite reacting to the Major's dangerous words, he agreed that it was a much stronger point. Eylstadt blew their chance to keep the Witch's presence a secret, which they could have used to strike a crippling blow to the Empire. The fact they chose not to was strange as Berkman summarized.

"The Witch of Weisse Hexe may be powerful, but she is not invincible. I have reason to conclude that there are times or places where her magic is fairly weak or completely unusable. If we can figure that out, we can exploit her vulnerability and show the world the Weisse Hexe myth that the Witches worship is not as powerful as they believe her to be. And besides…"

Berkman eyed on Bassler to finish his reasoning.

"If either girl were unstoppable, then that fire girl would have already toasted you, and we would not have this conversation. You said you managed to graze one of them and leave her vulnerable to attack if it wasn't for that Witch."

"Those women were something else, nothing like any of the normal Witches who opposed us. No one has ever rivaled them in a dogfight…except for me."

"Very well, you pass. You'll be given the order soon, so we're counting on you, Captain."

Berkman's words confused the captain as he rose from his seats.

"We are currently recruiting soldiers defeated at Eylstadt in the presence of the White Witch and that fire-and-wind girl. You're going to work for me. Together, we will hunt down both girls before we recapture Eylstadt."

Bassler raised his glass to his new commander.

"I am honored, Major."

* * *

"Is everyone here and accounted for?"

Muller called for everyone who attended the meeting. He sat in the middle on the far side of the conference room table. On his left was General Schneider, and to his right were Bianca and Lieutenant Barkhorn. Facing opposite of him on the window side was Fine, who also sat behind a large bulletin board with newspapers and maps of troop movements. To her right was Izetta, and to her left Elvira and Alice, with Tipler still in her pouch.

Alice felt the most alien out of those in the conference, wondering why they invited her in the first place. She rested her shoulder on the table as she faced Muller from the corner.

"Never thought I'd be in a real conference."

"You're just a guest in here for now. Please be respectable for what we discuss in this meeting."

"Interesting how I would get involved. I didn't think I'd be important."

Fine shared the same opinion as Alice. Muller learned about the Psionic girl's existence the same way he did with the White Witch, although he did not know of Tipler's. Fine thought that if it weren't for her power, she and Muller would never have allowed her to attend such an important conference.

"Currently, the public is more interested in the White Witch. Unlike you, Izetta directly affiliates with a legend that caught the world's attention. Rumors of your existence are still out there, but they dwarf in comparison to the Witch's popularity."

"And now, we have to figure out what our next move should be."

Fine nodded to Muller's words as they faced the bulletin board.

"Ever since they failed to conquer Eylstadt, the Empire of Germania ceased all campaigns against its neighbors. They are in the middle of reorganization after realizing they cannot conquer our nation thanks to the White Witch. For now, they seem to be more focused in the north, aiming its guns at Britannia."

"So I guess the fighting in this country is over then, huh?"

Fine and Muller countered Alice's point. Like the others, they saw Alice as someone who did not grasp the whole situation, especially Fine.

"It's too early to call. Germania still has a large force up in the north near Veile and Xern. They may have retreated to their homeland, but they might attack us if we falter. And we still don't know if we can block them at Coenenberg again."

"And there's the reality regarding the Witch clans."

General Schneider jerked to the aide's words as he continued.

"Gertrude's unit may have cast our support as per tradition. But we'll need to acquire the help of every Witch the next time our country is threatened."

"Are you saying we do not have full approval from the other Witch clans? Muller, did you recommend that…"

"That is my job."

Even Fine felt awful for declaring it in public.

"I would not want to say things yet to come true, and it's cruel to exploit a tradition among cultures for personal gain. But we need to secure aid from the Allies for the future of our nation, and the Witch clans' respect for the legend makes way to gain their support."

The Archduchess turned to the White Witch, who looked in down in guilt.

"Besides…Izetta helped us out of pity. I can't force her to do anything. And there's her power…"

The last sentence prompted Muller to question her.

"What about her power?"

"As amazing as her power can be, I fear she may have limits to when and where she can use it. Her power is not like the other Witches, which doesn't seem to come from within herself. And she's not like Alice, who has powers beyond our comprehension. One must wonder, if she cannot generate her own magic, then where exactly does it originate?"

"So you think we might not be able to use her at some dire hour when we need her?"

Fine nodded to Schneider's question. The old General laid back and sighed in frustration.

"To think we had an invincible weapon for once."

Muller ignored the general's misgivings as he turned to the representative from the 501st.

"Lieutenant Barkhorn, has Commander Wilcke said anything?"

"We sent a telegram to the Commander when we finished the battle of Coenenberg. She replied twice regarding the matter, a week before the coronation and an hour after the White Witch went public."

"And what does she think regarding the White Witch and the clans' traditions? From the soldier's point of view, your subordinates didn't recognize her until you ordered them to kneel."

"It was a spontaneous act, even if it was due to traditions. However, she seems to approve."

"If I recall, Commander Wilcke is a major leader of the Karsland movement and one of your closest friends."

Gertrude nodded as she recalled memories of that experience. That included another girl precious to her who was injured during their escape.

"We have been long acquaintances since the Kaiser took over the homeland and we together avoided persecution. She is also aware of the Weisse Hexe legend, which is why she disregarded our act."

"Are you certain that she will support the White Witch as the tradition suggests?"

Gertrude paused for the moment. The others could tell it was not a "yes," not yet at least.

"She is deeply interested in the Weisse Hexe. If possible, she would like to see her power at first glance."

Fine sighed over the outcome. Despite the performance at the coronation, she did not expect it to gain their support immediately as Gertrude continued.

"Showing Izetta's power through the media must not be enough for her. But to show her power in front of the 501st, she will have to leave Eylstadt for someplace else. More likely at our Dover base in Britannia."

"Then why don't we just go and accept it!?"

All eyes went Alice, who slapped her hand onto the table. The loud outburst disturbed everyone at the table, which prompted her to explain.

"I mean, the 501st and Karsland girls are giving you something rare on the platter! An idealistic leader saving her country is never going to pass it up!"

Schneider wiped the sweat off his head.

"That's true, but…"

Muller gave a short nod before answering to the shock of the general.

"We'll accept."

"Sieg!"

"The last time we attempted to gain the Allies' help was a futile act of desperation. Getting their help and that of the other Witch clans is a certain window of opportunity we cannot miss. And besides, there is also another enemy we have to consider. Now that Germania has attacked and we have a Witch affiliated with our nation, we have to look out for them as well."

Everyone including Alice knew the other threat that Muller hinted, much to Schneider's groans. They faced the map again and eyed on the large black hexagons that surrounded Eylstadt, except for an opening through Romagna.

"They never attacked us yet, but the fact remains our country is surrounded by several Neuroi hives including the enormous one in the heart of Germania. If we don't accept their power now, we will have more than just the Empire to confront. Moreover, the Empire started concentrating troop movements up in Galia, close to the Neuroi Hive in that region. By no means, this can be a coincidence."

Muller then turned to Fine to make a request.

"Archduchess, please send me to Britannia with the White Witch. Next month, there will be a conference between governments-in-exile and all the Allied nations. A representative from Liberion will be at the conference as well. This is a chance more than we could hope for."

"Wait, Sieg. Regarding Lieutenant Barkhorn's report, Commander Wilcke will likely be there as well. Considering her goal, isn't it likely they all want to know about Izetta's power?"

Fine's objection made Muller silent. There was no hiding his real intentions regarding such a move. Although she trusted her well and would allow him under other means, that was no longer necessary.

"In that case, allow me to go with Izetta."

Everyone turned to Fine as she pressed the idea.

"What do you all think? It's the best way to show that we're serious, isn't it?"

Elvira gave some thought to favor the princess.

"It would certainly be effective, but…"

On the other hand, Bianca slapped her hands onto the table.

"No way! We cannot let you be in danger again!"

"Bianca, calm down."

Alice also stood before the royal guard commander.

"Don't be so scared, will you? Remember that she's got us, and three Witches from the 501st will stand behind her! It's not like we'll let them go alone."

"You…"

Bianca glared the Psionic girl. She may have gained the Archduchess's trust, but she only knew for a short time. That's also not mentioning how the girl was bold enough talk against the leader of the royal guard. However, Muller tended to agree, much to Bianca's ire.

"Very well. I'll let you go."

"Sieg!"

"However, besides sending an escort like before, you should be very particular about the routes you take. I'll let Lieutenant Barkhorn know so you can get to Britannia with protection in case of an enemy attack. Bianca, are you up to the task?"

Bianca was reluctant before she nodded with a sigh of defeat. Muller then turned to Fine as he adjourned the conference.

"It's settled then. We'll prepare a boat for your departure. Make sure you're ready by tomorrow."

Nearly everyone in the conference stood up from the table. Alice stretched her arms again before checking on Tipler. Muller and Schneider were about to leave, but they noticed that Izetta was not standing up. Alice noticed this first hand as she patted her shoulder.

"What's the matter, Izetta? You don't think you're capable of fighting above water?"

"It's part of it."

Izetta turned to Fine, who was also concerned about Izetta's passive and timid behavior.

"Um, Archduchess. There is something I must confess. Something I must tell you before we go."

"Izetta…"

"First, I want you to come with me. There's something under the castle that I want to show you all."

Alice was the most intrigued among the group, while Schneider looked surprised. Gertrude and Bianca did not show much emotion but were also curious. However, Muller could understand the anxiety from the White Witch. Perhaps this was what the Archduchess was worried over all along.

* * *

 _And that's the prelude to the upcoming battle. Next one will be the battle against who knows what, though it's an easy guess what it might be. There will be a little bit more conversation, but that's in a location right where the battle begins._

 _Either way, hope you enjoyed the chapter._


	9. Episode 4-2

_Although I would still separate this into three parts, the battle will extend to this section and that last one for this Episode. The endpoint is a predictable cliffhanger, good enough for a stopping point._

 _Also, for references, all the enemies you see will take the form of the Horton 229 like in Episode 2 of Strike Witches._

* * *

In the northern regions of the European continent laid a handful of large islands. One of them was a significant power on the side of the Allies known as the Kingdom of Britannia. While it had a sizable ground, air, and naval force, it was inferior compared to their opponent on the other side of the channel. Even so, it was the main base for their best Witches and the final stronghold against the relentless attacks from Germania and the Neuroi on the continent.

In the waters near Britannia's shores, a fleet of vessels enroute to the islands came under attack. They were composed of several escort ships and a leading aircraft carrier. They raised a white flag with a red crescent moon to indicate their nationality. A handful of explosions in the water rocked the flagship as voices shouted through the speakers.

"All ships, maintain course while taking evasive action! I repeat, maintain course while taking evasive action!"

The Fuso aircraft carrier Akagi and its destroyer escorts were on their way to the islands after tending to an assignment in its home country. After traveling halfway across the world, they were suddenly intercepted by a large black vessel that shot many red beams at the fleet. Many were damaged, but the beams only bombarded the waters near the carrier. The repeated near misses startled the commanding officers within the bridge.

"Damn them, why won't they just finish us off?"

"Maybe they're just toying with us?"

Another beam startled the men. The soldiers were dealing with a Neuroi, an enemy of humanity with weapons and technology that surpassed conventional weaponry. Without Witches, they stood no chance against them. But besides having two such people onboard, they had a complimentary of fighters for support.

"Prepare all fighter planes for takeoff. We'll show how a cornered rat bites the cat."

In a room within the Akagi was a short, brown haired 14-year-old girl who cringed on top of a bed. Her whole body shriveled as she held her legs tightly by her chest. She covered her eyes with her knees as the carrier continued to rumble from the enemy's attacks.

"Miyafuji!"

Yoshika jumped from her perched state when a sharp voice demanded her attention. She laid her feet back onto the ground as another girl came in. She bore long black hair tied to a ponytail. She had a white eyepatch cover her right side and an uncovered hazel left eye.

"Sakamoto-san…"

Yoshika Miyafuji faced her new superior officer, Squadron Leader Mio Sakamoto of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing. The officer gave a stern look as she approached her recruit.

"What's with that face? And you call yourself a Witch of Fuso?"

"But…the shaking won't stop."

"It can't be helped."

Mio sighed. Finding a timid Yoshika was not surprising for her. She was like this ever since Mio found her content with her peaceful life. She knelt before the young girl and pushed her chin up.

"Come lift your face to me and don't move," she placed a small circular device in Yoshika's ear. The process made the young girl blush. "That's an intercom. With that, you can talk to me whenever we are apart. Use it when you're in an emergency. Understand?"

Before Yoshika could answer, another shockwave rocked the quarters. Alarms went off in the carrier to signal all aircraft to prepare for launch.

"Okay, now I have to go."

Mio stood back and turned to the door.

"Sakamoto-san…are you really going to fight them?"

"Of course. That's my duty, after all."

"But Sakamoto-san…I…I want to…"

"You stay. Don't go outside, no matter what."

"But…"

"I'll be fine. Just sit back and watch."

Mio exited the quarters. The speechless Yoshika was alone again. She heard the alarms and orders from the officers continuously. But all she could do was sit there.

"Everyone is out fighting. And yet, I…I…"

Yoshika did not board the ship for the sake of fighting; she was never the type to accept this reality. She wanted to do something, but with her given orders, she did not know what to do.

* * *

Propeller engines roared to life on the Akagi's deck. Around a dozen white Fuso fighters lined up to prepare for launch, all of which were A6M models codenamed "Zero."

Mio Sakamoto led the wing from the carrier's front elevator. She wore a Striker Unit based on the A6M3a version of the Zero and carried a Type-99 Model 2 Kai cannon in her arms. But her signature weapon was a Masakuni-type katana, which she received from her former master. Her Striker Unit spun its propellers, ears and a tail of a Doberman sprouted, and a magic circle emitted below her as she eyed on the Neuroi in front of her.

"Mio Sakamoto, taking off!"

The Major Witch took off first. The Zeros behind followed one to two planes at a time. When all of the Akagi's aircraft took off, the Neuroi fired another wave of beams at the fleet and destroyed another escort ship.

Mio paid no attention to the destruction as the planes trailed behind her. They all faced the Neuroi dead ahead. She received a message from one of the three pilots close behind as they approached the massive alien weapon.

"Incoming message from our superior. The 501st Joint Fighter Wing is heading towards our fleet. ETA 20 minutes."

"Then we either defeat the Neuroi here or hold out until they arrive."

Mio flew past the black craft as it fired its beams at her. The other planes scattered to avoid the red beams as well. The Witch flew above the Neuroi as she gave her orders.

"The Neuroi cannot be defeated without crushing its core. All planes draw their fire while I fly above and take it out."

The planes complied by circling the Neuroi. The descended below to pick up speed as the Neuroi fired beams from its underbelly. The rapid acceleration of the planes allowed them to avoid the beams with ease.

The diversion gave Mio time to reveal her other signature power. She lifted her eyepatch to show a red eye with a black iris. Her vision darkened as she scanned the entire Neuroi. To her surprise, she had no luck finding the core.

Her vision returned to normal when she noticed several glares from the top of the Neuroi. Multiple beams converged to attack, forcing Mio to put up a barrier. Several beams missed but a few pummeled her shield. The incredible power of the beams budged her backward. A veteran Witch knew well how to block, but an _old_ veteran Witch was another story. Even so, no beam went through her shield, and she could still fight.

She scanned the Neuroi again when it was clear to give it another go. Still, there was no luck in finding a glowing red spot within the craft.

"The Neuroi is like a hedgehog. Even I can't find the core."

She noticed the Neuroi attacking the escorts. A few beams damaged another destroyer, and another splashed a Zero from the sky. Mio could not find the core and soldiers were getting taken down. She had to take more offensive action.

The Witch descended from the sky and fired a few rounds from her cannon. She approached the Neuroi while avoiding the beams from the red spots. With no danger of counterattack, she shot her gun at the center of the Neuroi. She flew away before firing a few more rounds to inflict more damage.

When the smoke cleared, Mio observed the damage. Although her shots put decent dents onto the craft, they healed up quickly as one of the Neuroi's natural abilities. She noticed through her quickly Magan eye that the energy outlining the ship increased to accelerate its regeneration. It wasn't enough to detect the core, so she had to take it even further.

Sakamoto descended at the craft against as it shot down two more Zeros. She circled its left wing and fired a few more rounds at it. She did not have to check the damage; the number of shots was enough to dent any Neuroi shell. Instead of firing a few more rounds, she put her cannon behind her back and charged forward.

Mio unsheathed her sword and flew behind the Neuroi's left wing. She let out a war cry as she aimed for the crack within the shell midway from the fuselage. With all her might, she cut deeply into the wing. With such a hardened shell, she used all of her strength to tear the left wing in half. The piece that flew off the Neuroi disintegrated into white feathers before the other pilots.

The lost of a wing should be enough for the Neuroi to increase its regeneration ability at a far higher rate. She could tell as her Magan showed far more energy from the craft. It was a sign that the core needed to channel more energy to recover from such an attack. For that reason, she could easily see the energy signature emitting from the very center of Neuroi.

"All escorting planes, the Neuroi core is at the exact center. Converge your fire to expose the core."

"Major Sakamoto, new contacts from our three!"

The pilot's distressed voice prompted Mio to her turn her right. It was too distant to see the enemy, and clouds were in the way. She had to use her Magan's second ability to get a visual. Around 200 meters was the last thing she expected, a swarm of ten more Neuroi heading towards the Akagi. They were smaller versions of the Neuroi they were fighting at the moment, but the numbers were very problematic.

"Reinforcements? But how?"

As the smaller Neuroi craft got within range, they fired a barrage of beams at the fleet and its escorts. Mio put up a shield to deflect a few more beams. But the reinforcements managed to sink a cruiser and destroy three more fighters in a single volley. Even though Mio could easily deal with such enemies, the Fuso fleet now faced a disadvantage in numbers.

The larger Neuroi regenerated its wing and retaliated with another volley of red beams. Mio barely dodged the first few beams in time as she was caught off guard. She erected another barrier to block a few more beams, but the battle took its toll on her. She held the barrier long enough to avoid getting shot down as a weakened beam grazed her by the jacket.

The smaller Neuroi continued their onslaught by destroying the remaining Zeros and two more escort ships. The crew on the damaged ships began evacuating even as the smaller craft fired on them as well. Sakamoto glared at the gritty situation that had occurred on them.

"Damnit, it can't end like this. I will succeed no matter what the cost!"

Just before she had thoughts of a suicide run, one of the smaller Neuroi ships exploded. Mio searched for who could have fired such a shot. All of the ships were heavily damaged save for the Akagi, and all their main guns were inoperable. It could not be from Britannia either since it was too soon for their reinforcements. Therefore, it had to come from somewhere outside.

Mio caught a glimpse of a second round that impacted the larger Neuroi, which let out an electronic screech. The attack came from behind the Akagi and the enemy Neuroi, out in the open waters. The Witch used her Magan zoom in on their unexpected supporters.

"What is in Fuso's name?"

Three were also already a soothing sight to see, as they were all from the 501st. But there were two girls she did not recognize. What further added to the mystery was their method of flight without a Striker Unit. One rode on a large anti-tank rifle like it was a broom while another emitted flames from her arms and feet. She could not help but wonder who these girls were and what the Karsland Witches were up to this past month.

* * *

Out in the distance, Gertrud fired another powerful shot from one of her two weapons. Her squad was in a finger-four formation with Erica on her left, Francesca and Alice on her left. The Psionic girl propelled herself with flames on both her hands and feet to keep up with the girls.

Izetta trailed behind the group on her rifle. She used her time to check the mana in the area before continuing. It was necessary to stay behind due to circumstances that kept her as a last line of defense.

Gertrud double checked her secondary weapon after firing a few times for any issue. Aside from her MG42, she also wielded an MG151/20 cannon. She used that weapon to get two clear shot at the larger Neuroi, though one of them hit a smaller Neuroi instead.

"Enemy Neuroi up ahead," Lieutenant Barkhorn touched into her intercom. "Steer clear from the battlefield and up to maximum comm range. Do not proceed until we clear the area."

The girls all escorted a passenger boat behind them. The main passengers were Fine, Bianca, Elvira, and Tipler. Fine and Tipler were by a military radio with the Murlock standing right by the microphone.

"So these are the alien creatures, huh?"

Alice was the most eager out of the group, understandably because this was her first time testing her power against a Neuroi. For that reason, Tipler was the most worried.

"Be careful out there, Alice-sama."

"Hey, who do you think I am!?"

"A thick-headed pyromaniac who charges in head first," Erica remarked.

"Just don't go too far, Izetta," Fine spoke into the microphone. "You must not charge in by yourself either."

Tipler turned to the Archduchess, know well about her biggest worries.

"You're concerned about her fighting these Neuroi?"

"I can not force her to stay out, but even if her fight against Germania, she's facing a very different enemy here."

Gertrud responded upon overhearing Fine and Tipler's dialogue.

"Based on our recent discovery, this should be the best route for her to remain active in combat."

Alice nodded as she turned her head behind and towards Izetta.

"But are you sure you can fight a Neuroi? They're not human, and you may have those special lances, but they're far stronger than any Germanian weapon. Those mere swords won't do much either."

Izetta had a large number of obtained a massive response from her hand before answering.

"If I concentrate my power enough, I'll be fine."

The girl noticed a flash from the battlefield. The girls broke away as several red beams cruised past them. One of them got close to hitting Izetta, prompting to call out her blades.

"Everyone!"

The swords all weaved into a square angled in another direction like what she did in Coenenberg. Unlike that time, however, she focused vast amounts of mana that made it glow bright green. Although the beam pushed the shield of swords backward and metal heated up where it impacted, it split apart and deflected away from the Witch. Moreover, the energy dissipated upon collision with the mana surrounding the shield. Therefore, it acted like her magic shield compared to her Witch allies.

The other girls noticed the girl emerging from the dented swords unharmed. As stunned as they were, they prioritized the small Neuroi that faced them. Alice went ahead of the Witch to face the enemy.

"Seems like we have no choice then. Let's do this!"

"Alice, get back and wait for my orders," Gertrud calls her through the intercom, but a wave of beams interfered. "Lucchini, Hartmann, follow my lead and clear the sky of all Neuroi!"

The three Witches from 501st went into a single group together. Izetta remained behind as she rechecked her mana and aimed her rifle towards the human fleet.

Leading the charge was Alice, who prepared a fistful of flames in her right hand. She used her quick reflexes and mobility to avoid the next wave of beams. When approaching the closest craft, she threw a sphere of flame with all her power, disintegrating it into a massive fireball. She jerked again to avoid the set of beams converging in her direction.

Gertrud used Alice's diversion to her advantage. She fired another round from her cannon, followed by a stream of fire from her MG42. Francesca and Erica attacked another Neuroi and quickly destroyed its core, disintegrating it into white feathers. The Witches flew past the remaining two as they fired more beams at the girls.

Alice threw another spark of flame at a Neuroi, which only exposed its core. She evaded another wave of beams after that, though one graze her by her gauntlet. A swarm of swords then pelted the two Neuroi as Izetta approached the girls. Before they could diverge their attention to the White Witch, both were destroyed by another one of Alice's sparks and another barrage from Gertrud's squadron.

With all the attackers down, Alice the 501st Witches flew towards the human fleet that came under attack. Gertrud assessed the situation, witnessing all of the damaged and sinking ships, save for the aircraft carrier.

"The emergency call most likely came from this carrier."

Alice circled the nearby sinking ships. The men stood in surprise upon seeing a girl propelling flames from her feet and hands without any Striker Unit. But Alice focused more on the flags raised by the sinking this.

"That's a weird flag they're raising."

Gertrud twitched her eye as she corrected Alice through the intercom.

"It's the flag for the Fuso Imperial Navy. That aircraft carrier is Akagi."

"You know that ship?"

"Another Witch from the 501st unit was assigned to that unit not long ago. She's supposed to recruit new Witches to the unit, that is if she's still alive."

Another voice came into their communications.

"Lieutenant Barkhorn, come in! I repeat, Lieutenant Barkhorn, come in!"

The flying lieutenant responded to Sakamoto's voice.

"This is Lieutenant Barkhorn. Is that you, Major?"

"I see you returned from mainland Europe and brought a bunch of guests along. Report your purpose."

Mio blocked another beam with her weakened shield as Gertrud replied.

"Commander Wilcke assigned us to escort a passenger boat with VIPs to the base. Two additional girls volunteered for the mission to fight alongside us."

"Two Witches for Karsland?"

"Negative."

Following Gertrud's answer, Alice flew over to Sakamoto's side. The Squadron Leader easily knew she was not an ordinary Witch and what intrigued her the most was her fire-propulsion as her means of flight. The young girl greeted the woman.

"Heya, we saw you guys were in trouble, so we figured we come along!"

Gertrud continued through her intercom.

"Although she's not of military or political importance, one is extremely interested in the war effort. Despite her recklessness, she possesses powers never seen before and should be brought to our commander for evaluation."

In the middle of Gertrud's report, another small Neuroi aimed at Mio and Alice. The Psionic girl reacted with another spark, exposing its core. When it returned fire, Alice flew black and to the side. Mio charged forward and cut the core in half. She turned to Alice, who struggled to regain control after the close encounter, prompting her to sigh.

"Very well," Mio gave her orders as she faced the Akagi, which was still under attack by the larger Neuroi. "First, help clear the airspace of all Neuroi. Then we will provide escort for your passenger boat. Does it have room on the ship?"

"Only a handful of passengers are onboard. We should be able to take in a few lifeboats."

"Understood. Once the sky is clear, have the boat picking up any survivors along the way. We'll need to carry all-"

Before Mio could finish, another voice only she knew came through the intercom.

"Sakamoto-san, are you alright? Sakamoto-san!"

The young girl's voice surprised the other girls besides Mio, who was far more agitated.

"You idiot! What the hell are you doing?"

"Sakamoto-san…you're all right, thank goodness."

"I told you not to leave the room! Get back!"

"Sakamoto-san…"

Another smaller Neuroi attacked, prompting her to use her shield again. As the Neuroi passed her, Alice threw another spark to damage its wing. Sakamoto returned to Miyafuji on the intercom.

"This is not where you should be! You're just getting in the way!"

"But I want to do what I can, as well!"

"Miyafuji, listen to me! There is nothing you can do now! Get back in the room quickly!"

"Sakamoto-san?"

"Major Sakamoto," Gertrud came in on the line, who overheard the conversation. "What is going on here?"

"Yeah," Alice agreed as she hovered to Mio's side. "You know this girl?"

"She's…a potential candidate for recruitment. Her orders are to stay inside the carrier no matter what happens."

"She sure doesn't sound too happy about that."

Alice threw another spark at a small Neuroi as Mio complimented.

"Honestly, she's a reckless girl but has a lot of guts. We got to show the same."

The descended over the larger Neuroi as it closed in on the carrier. Mio relayed to the other girls.

"Attention, the larger Neuroi's core is in the exact center. Focus your fire on it and-"

"Sakamoto-san!"

Miyafuji's voice cried out that prompted Mio to snap her attention back to the Akagi. Before her eyes, a Neuroi beam pierced the Akagi directly. An explosion erupted from the elevator and flames spit around the deck.

"The Akagi," Alice stuttered. "It's…"

"Miyafuji, do you read me?" Mio called the young girl through her intercom again. "Miyafuji, come in! Miyafuji!"

After a few seconds, there was still no response from the young Witch. What pained her the most was that her father worked on the Striker Units that allowed Witches to fight against the Neuroi. In other words, she was her closest acquaintance's daughter.

* * *

 _The rest of the battle will end in the third part of the Episode._

 _Hope you enjoyed the chapter._


	10. Episode 4-3

_Here it is, the second half of the battle and the conclusion of the chapter. Enjoy._

* * *

The interior of the aircraft carrier did not burn, but it sent shockwaves and smoke throughout the decks. Alarms went off as the ship took in water. The officers did their best to keep the ship afloat amid the damage from the Neuroi attacks.

In the aircraft hanger below the main deck laid a knocked-out Yoshika. A few seconds ago, she left her room despite Mio's orders to reach her new superior. She ran through the docks as she searched the decks for anything she could do onboard. When a Neuroi beam struck the ship, the shock threw her into the air, and she hit hard face first onto the metal floor.

The young girl was now barely conscious as she reminisced why she came here. Her mother and grandmother protested as did she, but Major Sakamoto wanted her to join the 501st anyway. It wasn't that she wanted to fight, but because Major Sakamoto knew her father, who left her a long time ago for reasons unknown. Not even she knew until recently that his main research was designing Striker Units, with Major Sakamoto as a test pilot.

Her father was a great man as if he could do anything. But she was not her father. She remained behind all this time, and even with her special power of healing hands, she found herself too clumsy to act useful. Now she was just lying here, watching life dwindle as the light shone on her face.

 _I'm sorry, Father,_ the little girl apologized. _I can't do anything…_

 _"Yoshika…"_

A voice came out before the girl. Her eyes were blurry, but she saw a shadow blocking the light as she entered a dream-like state.

 _F-Father?_

" _Yoshika, you have a great power just like your mother and grandmother before you. With that power, you must become a great person and protect everyone."_

 _Father…_

The image of her father turned away and disappeared. From there, she recalled the photo that Mio had with her. It was a photo of the Major and Dr. Miyafuji along with a handful of other scientists. In the center was their main project, the Striker Unit, the mainstream weapon of Witches.

She remembered that photo, which prompted Yoshika to snap out of her semi-conscious state. She picked herself up from the ground and viewed her surroundings. She was in the carrier's central elevator, where flames and smoke brewed everywhere. But in the center was a weapon that remained fully intact.

"A Striker Unit?"

The unit was another AGM3a model of the Zero. It remained in perfect condition, more than lucky for a something caught in the blast of a Neuroi beam. She did not understand how it was possible, but there were only two Witches, including herself and no seemed to claim ownership. It was like the unit was there just for her. Clenching her fists, Yoshika knew what to do.

* * *

The situation did not turn out better in the skies. Although it was fortunate that reinforcements arrived for Mio, but even that was not enough if the Akagi was sunk.

The Major continued to make a run on the larger Neuroi, which was repeatedly hindered by the smaller ships that got in the way. Izetta appeared the last time and guarded her against another volley of beams, which nearly tore apart the swords. Gertrud's squad then arrived to shoot down the enemy ship. The large Neuroi craft returned fire by attacking all of the Witches, forcing them to project their barriers. Alice was too busy avoiding two more Neuroi craft that kept pursuing her.

Mio struggled over projecting the latest attack. Besides getting tired, she observed the crew on the Akagi preparing lifeboats. Her gun also overheated and ran out of ammunition, so she had to discard it. It won't be long before the carrier sinks under this kind of punishment.

That was until Alice's came on.

"Girls…Witches…there's something happening on the Akagi!"

The girl turned to the carrier to see smoke clearing from the carrier. It was the central elevator where a Neuroi struck not long ago.

"The elevator is in use," Mio noticed. "Could it be…!"

Emerging from the smoke was Yoshika, who already equipped her Striker Unit. She carried a Type 99 Model 2 Kai cannon on her back, the same firearm as Mio wielded. The young girl strengthened her resolve as she spun her Striker's propellers.

 _I have to do whatever I can_ , she thought to herself. _To keep my promise…to protect everyone!_

The young girl sprouted ears and a tail from a Mameshiba dog. She then emitted a large magic circle, far bigger than a normal Witch. Francesca was the most bewildered of the group.

"Who the heck is that? And why does she have a Striker Unit?"

"Miyafuji…"

Alice was the first to her Mio's words.

"Miyafuji?"

"The daughter of Dr. Miyafuji, the inventor of the Striker Unit."

"Wait, you're saying her father made _those_ things!?"

Yoshika spun her Striker Unit's propellers. When she thought she had enough speed, she released the restraints on her unit.

"Here I go!"

The young Witch accelerated across the deck. She had decent speed, but when she left the Akagi, she now faced a control problem. She found herself spinning as descended closer to the water. The officers and even Mio called from afar.

"Pick yourself up already! You want to die or not!?"

"Fly, Miyafuji!"

Yoshika used all of her might to pull herself up, giving her Striker Unit far more power in return. She closed her eyes on the entire ordeal and soared into the air. Her eyes remained closed as she expected herself to crash into the ocean. But when she did feel anything hard hit her, she noticed herself.

"I-I'm flying?"

Upon opening her eyes, she found herself high in the sky. She continued gaining altitude as her legs stood still in awe of what just happened.

"I'M FLYING!"

"No way," an astounded Mio gazed at the flying daughter of Miyafuji. "It's her first time wearing a Striker, and she managed to fly in one go…"

The said daughter then soared past Miyafuji, started losing control again.

"Sakamoto-san!"

"Hey, hey! Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm here to help, Sakamoto-san!"

Yoshika called out she begun spinning in the loops. Izetta was under of what happened, but her body shook over what might happen with the poor girl. Erica and Francesca had to chuckle over the clumsy girl spinning in circles, knowing they were witnessing a rookie in action.

"Major Sakamoto sure brought an interesting Witch along."

"Amateur…"

Mio thought nothing of it as the large Neuroi distracted her. The craft responded by charging its beams. Mio noticed that it aimed for Yoshika.

"Miyafuji, watch out!"

Numerous beams erupted from the craft, which caught the young Witch's attention. She quickly regained control of her Unit and projected a barrier. What the other Witches did not expect was that immense size of the shield, which was at least three times the size any of the girls could project. Even as the Neuroi ship shot and converged its beams in an attempt to overpower her, the young girl did not budge one bit.

"EEEHH!?" Francesca's eyes widened over her sudden display of power. "How can she project a shield that big!?"

Erica merely gave a smug grin while Gertrud remained silent. But both Karsland Witches were speechless over the Witch's power. They even wondered where the Major got such a powerful Witch.

"Is this Yoshika's latent potential?" Even Sakamoto was amazed by the young girl's power. She knew the Miyafuji clan had talented Witches, especially in the arts of healing, but did not expect them to wield such immense power. It turned out to be far more hopeful than she expected.

"How interesting."

Mio flew over to Miyafuji, who gained full control over her Striker Unit.

"Good of you to come, Miyafuji."

"Sakamoto-san," Yoshika approached the Major, taking the cannon out from her back. "I brought you an extra gun!"

"You should use it."

"Sakamoto-san…"

"You said you wanted to protect people, right? That weapon is yours."

Yoshika paused for the moment before nodding in compliance. The Major then drew closer and wrapped her arm around Yoshika, causing her to blush. Erica and Francesca both gave some smirks, wondering what this implied. Only Gertrud's stern face shut them up.

Mio spoke in Yoshika's ear as she aimed sword at the large Neuroi.

"Listen. The core is at the very center of that Neuroi. You help take it out while I draw its fire."

When Yoshika nodded, Mio flew ahead as the ship fired more beams. Gertrud's group went on ahead to assist the Major. Alice, who smirked and blushed over her meeting with the Major, came over to the young Witch, startling her with her flame ability.

"Don't worry about us. We'll protect you while you attack the core. Right, Izetta?"

They turned to the White Witch on her rifle, who also blushed over the experience. They nodded together as they dispersed, heading for the last two smaller Neuroi.

Yoshika flew over the large Neuroi, which fired on the Witches circling it. She got a clear shot of the Neuroi, but hesitated for a few seconds, as if she wanted to make sure the shot would hit.

The large craft noticed and fired several more shots at her. Yoshika put up a barrier to deflect the beams. She had no physical injuries, but the attack still left her taking in deep breaths. Mio and the other Witches flew over to the young Witch and checked on her.

"Are you okay?"

Yoshika nodded to the Major.

"I'm fine. I can still fight."

Mio thought otherwise as she observed. She can still fight, but it would not for very long.

 _It's her first flight and battle. No wonder she's tired too quickly._

"You should not be up in the sky in that condition," Gertrud bluntly pointed out. "Let us expose the core and-"

"No, let me try again!"

Yoshika shouted as she demanded it from her superior. The Major nodded in defeat.

"Very well, this is our last chance. We're counting on you!"

Francesca trailed behind the other Witches as they descended again.

"Alright, let's do it!"

While the Witches continued to avoid fire from the Neuroi, Yoshika aimed her cannon again. This time, she thought about the last time she did it.

 _If I do it the same way, I'll get hit again…what should I do?_

She got a glimpse of Mio, who flew dangerously close to the Neuroi. The beams were unable to attack her or could not angle sharp enough to hit her.

 _That's it!_

Yoshika descended towards the Neuroi. If she can get close, she'll have a safer and more confident shot at the enemy craft. She found a few more beams from the side, which came from the last two smaller Neuroi.

"Miyafuji!"

Alice flew over to Yoshika while Izetta blocked the craft with her broken swords. The Psionic girl responded by throwing another spark at one of the Neuroi. Izetta used her cannon to finish off another.

"Go get them, Miyafuji!"

Yoshika nodded to Alice as she continued. She approached the surface of the Neuroi craft, past all the enemy beams.

 _Just get up close to it and fire. Don't hesitate a bit, Yoshika Miyafuji!_

The last Neuroi attempted to target Yoshika, but Gertrud's group intervened. Erica put up a barrier before Francesca and Gertrud destroyed it. Only the large Neuroi was left, and Yoshika aimed at the center.

 _I'm going to do this! I'm going to protect everyone!_

She pulled the trigger as she was meters away from the center. After several shots, she could see the glowing red spot emitting from her hole. However, she already flew past it, and could no longer take the shot.

Even so, Mio noticed the exposed core and called out to everyone on the intercom.

"There's the core! Everyone, take it out!"

Except for Mio, who left to attend Yoshika, the others concentrated their fire on the red hexahedron that was the Neuroi's core. Gertrud fired both her MG42 and cannon, followed by Erica and Francesca's machinegun fire. Alice threw two more sparks of flame. Izetta ended the attack with a magically charged shot from her rifle. The bombardment obliterated the core, and the large Neuroi disintegrated into harmless white shards.

Mio did not have to look at the know the threat was over. She was too focused on Yoshika, who fainted in her arms after the attack.

 _Unbelievable. She did all of this, even without any training._

Francesca cheered on as they watched the remained of the defeated Neuroi disappear.

"Alright, that's one big Neuroi down for the count!"

Gertrud lowered her guns.

"Confirmed here as well."

The Lieutenant noticed something else that required Mio's attention. Although they defeated the Neuroi, the Witches from their base continued moving on. She flew over to Yoshika and Mio's side while Erica and Francesca trailed behind her.

"Major Sakamoto, the rest of the 501st is inbound. Please give us orders."

"Our mission is complete here. Have them return to base while we handle everything here. You escort us to back to the Akagi for landing and refueling."

"U-Understood."

Alice arrived near Mio's side as well, calling out to the Witches while Izetta trailed behind.

"What about us?"

Gertrud was the first to respond.

"You and the Weisse Hexe return to the Archduchess. Tell them the area is secure, but we require their boat to take in survivors."

"R-Roger!"

"R-Right!"

Alice and Izetta confirmed as they flew back to their boat. Erica and Francesca still hand in mind how close the Major was to the new girl. The Karlsand girl maintained a smug grin while Lucchini chuckled over the implications.

"They're too close."

"Perrine won't be happy when she sees this. I can tease all about it later…Tehehehe..."

"Hartmann, Lucchini, fall in line!"

"R-Right!"

As the other Witches flew away, the two from Fuso were alone. Yoshika opened her eyes and found Mio's smiling face.

"Nice work, Miyafuji."

Yoshika did not think she deserved such praise as she clung onto the Major.

"Sorry, Sakamoto-san. I couldn't do better."

"What are you talking about? You did incredible for your first time. Take a look."

Yoshika faced the soldiers as they waved over to their saviors. Many turned to the other girls from the 501st, including Alice and Izetta as they flew over. But most of them took their hats off for Yoshika, especially those on the lifeboats and the Akagi itself, including the officers from the damaged bridge. Yoshika's eyes nearly teared as the men praised her.

 _Father…I…I…_

"Sakamoto-san!"

Yoshika jumped over the sudden shouting. She and Mio turned over to the Witches who came from Britannia. Mio facepalmed herself as she recognized the woman's voice.

"There she goes again. She must have been waiting for this opportunity."

A long-haired girl with glasses came over to the pair. She was a more endowed Witch with a purple uniform and long black leggings. She had the ears and tail from a Chartreux cat, and her Striker Unit resembled Galia's late VG 39 aircraft. She stored her Bern machinegun on her back as she raised her arm out to the Major.

"There you are, Sakamoto-san! I've been-"

The Galian Witch stopped halfway upon finding another Witch with the Major. The young girl was utterly oblivious to she was, which made the situation more awkward. Perrine's Striker Unit coughed up exhaust as she exclaimed angrily.

"W-What is going on here!? Who the hell are you!?"

"Eh!?"

Yoshika uttered out. Mio only responded with a laugh, right in front of the angry Witch's face.

* * *

Mio remained in her quarters within the damaged Akagi as it returned to port. The 501st who came from their base returned, shortly after driving the clingy Perrine away from the field. Mio assigned the other girls to keep themselves busy by retrieving lifeboats and rescuing any survivors. The passenger boat from Eylstadt docked next to the carrier as more soldiers climbed onboard the vessels still afloat.

The Major turned to the door after hearing it open.

"Major Sakamoto."

Gertrud entered the room with Alice, Fine, and Izetta following behind her.

"Lieutenant Barkhorn," Mio responded. "I thought I sent your team over for retrieval."

"Forgive us, Major, but we have something to discuss."

Gertrud stepped back as she showed the three guests.

"These are the VIPs from Eylstadt I mentioned earlier. This is Alice Alcubierre, Ortfine Fredricka von Eylstadt, and Izetta of the Weisse Hexe clan. We escorted over from Europe who will be under our protection at our base."

"So this is the second-in-command of the 501st, huh?" Alice commented.

Mio went up to the three girls. She showed little interest in Alice since she already saw her capabilities. She focused more on the central girl, who looked like a politician or noble.

"Ah, you must be the new Archduchess from Eylstadt."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Major Sakamoto."

As Fine bowed to the Major, Gertrud briefed the situation among the girls.

"Archduchess Fine will attend the Allies' conference with Commander Wilcke next month. She requested us to escort them on her journey."

"I did not hear anything about this. Commander Wilcke?"

"The Commander told us to escort her to our base. More importantly, she has an interest in the Weisse Hexe, who appeared before during the invasion of Eylstadt."

"Weisse Hexe," She turned right to the redhead in the white gown. The White Witch looked away with a blushed face, but Mio had another concern. "I do not understand what you're talking about."

"Huh, you don't know Weisse Hexe?" Alice reacted as she turned to Gertrud. "I thought you said she was a Witch among Witches!"

"Not all of them remember the legend," Fine explained. "Those who know the legend are from mainland Europe. Fuso is on the other side of the world, so it is unlikely Major Sakamoto knows who she is."

"Commander Wilcke had orders to bring Miss Izetta to our base in Dover," Gertrud addressed their orders. "She will examine her and confirm that she's a Witch of Weisse Hexe."

"What is Weisse Hexe?"

Alice answered bluntly to Mio's question.

"She's supposed to be the Queen of Witches. Isn't that enough…Ow!"

Alice's rant got her karate chopped in the arm by Gertrud. Mio turned to the young girl again, who shrank upon hearing such a name. She reminded the Major of someone else on the ship.

"I see," Mio went back to Gertrud. "Well then, welcome aboard, Miss Izetta. You are honored to stay with us on our way to the base."

"I am unworthy of your gratitude!"

Mio chuckled at the bowing White Witch. She reminded her of a few girls aboard the 501st, including the newly recruited Yoshika. The redhead shivered as Mio faced the others.

"Now then, you three are dismissed."

Fine bowed again as she and Izetta walked past Gertrud. Alice did the same but merely turned away without giving any respectful gesture. She only dashed out to meet with the other soldiers on the boat. It was now just the Lieutenant and Major on the ship, the latter of whom remained gazed on the White Witch.

"She's just like Miyafuji," Mio remarked. "She is not a real Witch yet."

"Major Sakamoto, we both saw her capabilities. Miss Izetta is not like any other Witches found in the world. Commander Wilcke and I know well that those of Weisse Hexe can surpass all of us."

"I am not contesting that, Lieutenant. She and the other girl suffered hard experiences, including fighting on a battlefield. They have incredible power, perhaps on the level as Miyafuji. But do they have the mindset, to do what must be done? That is my concern."

As Izetta disappeared from her view, Mio gave the Lieutenant her orders.

"We'll bring them to base as Commander Wilcke ordered. Continue with rescue operations as we bring Akagi to port. We'll discuss everything to the Commander from there."

"Understood, Major."

From there, Lieutenant Barkhorn left the Major alone. Mio remained busy in her office as she continued with her office work. However, she could not help but look outside the window.

"Many great surprises came in today, huh?" Mio said as if she talked to someone in the heavens. "I bet even you be very proud of what occurred today, Dr. Miyafuji."

* * *

 _And that's the end of Episode 4. The next few Episodes will mostly focus on battles with the Neuroi, so expect more battles against the black and red aliens soon enough._

 _Unfortunately, that will not happen until after a long time. I'll be doing another internship soon and want to focus my time on something else, especially a few other fanfics that require my attention._

 _Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter._


	11. Episode 5-1

_I think I'll get a few more chapters in since I feel motivated into doing so._

 _There will be three or four chapters with this one being a prelude to the battle._

* * *

The night before, on the islands of Britannia, Fine and Izetta left their companions to attend a meeting with some military officials. In a conference center shaped like a courthouse, Archduchess Fine stood by another female Air Force officer. She was a redhead with long hair, the rank emblem of a Wing Commander, and a symbol that would easily designate her as a Witch. She stood firm while facing her superiors, who were all stationed on the bench.

"It seems our reinforcements and supplies from Fuso have somehow arrived safely, Commander Wilcke."

Air Chief Marshal Dowding addressed the Wing Commander of the 501st from the center seat. On his right was Air Chief Marshal Trevor Maloney. She would never say it out loud, but his blue air force cap and mustache gave Fine an uneasy reminiscence of Germanian officers. On his left was Lord Redford, who had to attend due to his relationship with the Archduchess.

"Major Sakamoto has arrived with the recruit," Commander Wilcke reported. "Ms. Yoshika Miyafuji has been given the rank of Sergeant while undergoing training as per regulations."

"It is fortunate for us to have an increase in manpower. But I believe the next issue is the recent activity from your Lieutenant."

The Wing Commander turned to the Archduchess, who nodded before she continued.

"Archduchess Fine here can confirm their testimony if you wish."

"There is no need," Dowding waved her down. "Depending on the performance of the White Witch, we may look over this incident as an act of following traditions among your clans in Karsland. But do remember that this caused quite the controversy within world politics and the military."

"I understand. I will ensure this does not happen again."

"In any case, we shall turn to the Archduchess for the next task," Dowding went to Fine. "It is a surprise to see you arrive safely from your homeland, Lady Fine."

"The pleasure is all mine, sir," Fine bowed to the officers. "I appreciate the company of Lord Redford as the representative from Parliament as well."

"Your words flatter me, Archduchess," Lord Redford complemented. "When I learned that you not only took up father's role and introduced the legendary White Witch, I was about as shocked as everyone else in the government. As close acquaintances, I am honored that we meet like this once again."

"I guess I should be honored as well."

"Ahem," Maloney coughed, a pretty rude one in Fine's opinion to gather their attention. "We must now discuss your admission to the upcoming conference. I understand you brought the girl named Izetta, the proclaimed Witch of the so-called legendary Weisse Hexe clan."

As a politician, Fine didn't have to think deeply to hear the antagonism in his words. She could see the others having the same opinion as well. Even so, she answered in full.

"As a close friend of Izetta, we wish to have her demonstrate her abilities for the people of Britannia and all foreign ambassadors during our stay. Subsequently, I wish to have Commander Wilcke to participate in acknowledging her power."

"That way, you can gain solid support of the other Witches within our ranks," Maloney pressed. "And tell us this, once you obtain their approval, what do you seek? What is your purpose for coming here?"

Fine found him pressing. It wasn't that he was hard to argue against, but the pressure he brought on her was very irritating. She took a deep breath to explain calmly and in detail.

"As you already know, Eylstadt was recently subjected to an invasion by the Empire of Germania," the Archduchess turned to the Britannian ambassador. "Before this, we attempted to negotiate with Lord Redford, but the Germanian army's advance was too swift. It was only fortunate that Izetta and the Witches from Karsland were able to drive back the invasion force, but there's no telling when they will try again."

"In other words, you are using this time and the Witches' traditions to gain support from the Allies for the next invasion," Maloney concluded. "How convenient…"

"Ahem," Dowding coughed himself to ease the tension. "We appreciate your commitment in casting your support for the war effort, but do not believe this means we will immediately support your country, even if you are backed by the Witch clans and their military units. However, as long as your Witch shows results, you are more than willing to speak for Eylstadt on behalf of the Allies."

Trevor twitched over the Dowding's executive order. Redford sighed in relief while Fine bowed in honor to the Air Marshal.

"I appreciate your consideration."

"The same goes for you, Commander Wilke," Dowding turned to the Karsland Witch. "Ensure the recruit is ready for the future battles ahead."

"Understood, sir," Minna responded with confidence. "Britannia's…no, the world's skies shall be protected by us Witches."

* * *

Near the southern shores of Britannia was a large castle. The place was refitted into an airbase with a long runway, radar installation, and control tower. The number of rooms made it perfect for a large barracks, with each soldier having more than enough space to customize their rooms. Whenever they were off duty, the soldiers would travel to the nearby port town of Dover. That was how life was in the base of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing.

Most of the 501st attended the meeting in a study center made into a makeshift meeting hall. Commander Wilcke would usually be the one to give announcements. But with her away, Major Sakamoto took her place. Most of the Witches were there, with a few of them "absent," including a certain Galian blonde who glared behind the door.

"Everyone, pay attention!" the Major announced to the unit. "Today, we will have some new guests staying at this base. Please introduce yourself."

She turned to the two guests who arrived at the base last night, Yoshika and the tagalong Psionic girl as requested by the Archduchess of Eylstadt.

"My name is Yoshika Miyafuji from Fuso," Yoshika cheerfully bowed before the unit. "It is nice to meet you, everyone!"

"I'm Alice Alcubierre, and I'm from Liberion," the Psionic girl introduced herself with a right hand on her hips. "I'll be staying here with you girls for the time being. Looking forward to working with you all!"

Silence filled the room after Alice made her intro. One orange-haired woman shifted her eyes at the girl, perhaps the most feminine trait of all women. Francesca gave a little giggle. One girl with long white hair remained polite while taking care of a short-haired girl who slept in the room. Perrine kept her gaze upon Yoshika, who was too focused on another girl in the room. The girl had a long ponytail braid, and the two looked away shortly after eying on one another. Sakamoto sighed over Alice's introduction.

"Remember that unlike you, these girls have a military rank," Sakamoto warned the Psionic girl. "That said, Miyafuji-san is our recruit. She will have the same rank as you, Sergeant Bishop, so look after her as well."

"O-Okay…"

The Flight Sergeant stuttered as she blushed. Yoshika could see there was something not too right about the girl, but Mio interrupted her. The Major showed a small wooden box along with a Walther PPK.

"Miyafuji-san, all of your documents and clothing are right here."

"Um," Yoshika slowly walked up to her given possessions, taking the gun first. "I won't need this."

"Regulations require all soldiers to carry one for protection."

"I won't use it."

There was some silence before Mio gave her signature laugh in response.

"Such a peculiar girl…"

The friendly gesture made Perrine's face red. The Major didn't even bother to notice, even when she stomped away from the room and shouted in the hallway.

"Who the hell does that girl think she is!?"

Francesca chuckled again, thinking of ways to torment the Galian girl. Alice walked over the Major.

"Hey, what about me, uh…O-Officer Sakamoto?"

"Your room assignment will have to wait a little longer, but it should be ready by the end of the day. The same goes for Miss Izetta when she returns with Commander Wilcke and the Archduchess."

"E-Excuse me, Major," the young Flight Sergeant called her attention. "B-But could you possibly refer to W-Weisse Hexe?"

"You seem to have full knowledge of the legend yourself, Flight Sergeant."

"Um, I just learned of the legend recently," Lynette responded. "After I read the news about her appearance with Lieutenant Barkhorn, Officer Hartmann, and Officer Lucchini participating in the coronation."

"Eh, what?" the older, large breasted girl beside Francesca remained oblivious.

"This is true," Mio announced. "Miss Izetta and Archduchess Fine will also rest here during their stay in Britannia. For that reason, the Commander and top brass have been quite busy making the arrangements."

"I anticipated something special coming along," the younger officer continued to hold the sleeper as she spoke. "Even with the recruit, I never expected this."

"You must know the legend as well, Officer Juutilainen."

"It's an Orussian folktale," the officer explained. "I just happened to find it when Sanya desired a bedtime story one day. It's similar to the one from Eylstadt, which compares it to a royal bloodline, hence her nickname 'Queen of Witches.' Even for a fortuneteller like myself, it's surprising to believe the legend was right all this time."

"And that explains why the Lieutenant and Officer Hartmann have gone AWOL this session," Francesca stretched back on the channel as she joked.

Alice observed the military unit while smirking over their knowledge of the White Witch.

"Guess the White Witch has far more admirers than I anticipated."

"It can't be helped," Mio sighed before ending the meeting. "In any case, you are all dismissed."

As Mio concluded the meeting, Yoshika remained gawking at the Major as she passed the rows of desks. Yoshika was unable to see a particular Romagna girl ambush her, groping her from behind. Most of the other Witches gave mischievous looks as Francesca prodded her body.

"So, how do you rate them?" the orange-haired girl came from the side to get a closer look.

"Lynn's are much bigger," Francesca giggled at the other Flight Sergeant, who immediately blushed.

"Not as big as mine though," The orange-haired woman played with her breasts before raising her hand. "I'm Charlotte Yeager from Liberion. You can call me Shirley."

Yoshika slowly raised her hand to Shirley. She suddenly felt a tight grip, causing her to shake her hand in pain. The Liberion Witch chuckled as she continued to play with her breasts, much to the younger Witch's chagrin.

"If you don't eat, you'll never grow!"

"I wouldn't be so sure," Alice stepped in with her hands on her hips. "You should know many of us are still growing just fine."

"You got a long way to go before you can compare yours to someone else's," Shirley jeered, merely stared at Alice's rack.

"Your breasts, maybe, but how about your brains?"

"You got some nerve talking to an ace like that," Shirley smirked as she edged closer to Alice.

"And you got some nerve looking down on other people's skills just because they're newbies," Alice followed suit.

As the two Liberion girls sparked lightning between their eyes, Yoshika gave a nervous laugh as she patted her head. In the meantime, the two girls in the back stood up. Well, one was still carrying the other on her side.

"I'm Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen, Flying Officer of the Soumus Air Force," the officer carried the younger girl. "This is Sanya V. Litvyak, Flight Officer of the Orussian Army."

"Francesca Lucchini, Flying Officer of the Romagna Regia Aeronautica," the last of the officers introduced herself while laying on Shirley's back.

"Pleased to meet you," Yoshika bowed to Francesca.

"I believe that's enough for introductions," Mio struck her katana in the center. She called out to the now second newest Witch of the unit. "Lynn-san, you and Miyafuji will have training this afternoon. Why don't you show her around the base?"

"Um…Okay…"

"Miyafuji-san, stay close to Lynn-san as you go around."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Yoshika stood up firm and straightforward as if she wanted to impress the young girl.

"That's a good response," she turned to the non-Witch member present in the room. "As for you, Alice, we will prepare for your stay at the base. Follow me, and we will get you started."

"Y-Yes ma'am!"

While Mio was busy with Alice, Yoshika came up to the other young Witch. Among all of the girls in the unit, she was the most curious to the recruit. She greeted while reintroducing herself.

"I'm Yoshika Miyafuji. What is your name?"

"L-Lynette Bishop, Flying Officer…of the Britannian Air Force."

"Would you care to show me around?"

The question continued to make the Flight Sergeant blush. But within the girl, there were mixed feelings of both worry and anguish.

* * *

A large crowd of reporters and officers gathered around an ancient site by the cliffs of Dover. Hordes of cameramen took photos in the sky as a large demonstration performed overhead.

Up in the skies, Gertrud and Erica followed Izetta as she flew on her customized rifle. The three followed patterns as Commander Wilcke instructed. Fine stood on the stage with her Eylstadt guests on one side and Britannian military officers on the other. Commander Wilcke stood by the latter as she gave instructions.

"Barkhorn, Hartmann, prepare for the final phase. Once you gain enough speed, ascend and eject your Striker Units at 1500 m."

Minna received affirmative answers as they moved on. Minna gazed upon the White Witch, impressed by her performance so far.

 _To think when we've been on the verge of losing Europe, the legendary Weisse Hexe would appear to save us, just like in the legend,"_ Minna internally laughed at the thought while seeing some swerving from Izetta. _Even if she's so young, perhaps it was fate that brought us here._

As a fan of the legend, like all Karsland Witches including her superior Air Commodore Galland, they all had at least a wish that she would come to save them. It was just not who they intended, believing her to be an older, upstanding woman who came to rally the other clans. At first, she was shown to be a clumsy girl, and she still partly was in the middle of the flight. But when the time came, Izetta proved to take her power seriously. As a world celebrity, in Minna's words, she had to be.

Perhaps that's why, in addition to being her only friend, is why Fine was chosen to promote her power.

"People of Britannia," the Archduchess announced to the crowd. "You now see with your own eyes the powers and capabilities of the White Witch. For those who questioned the abilities and the Witches' allegiance to my dear friend, consider your fears and doubts dispelled."

While the two Karsland Witches flanking Izetta prepared for the last act, Minna took a deep breath, relying on her subordinates and comrades to pull off this last act. She caught a glimpse of two other Witches who entered peeked around the side of an old stone building.

"What's going on here?"

The recruit was easy to pick out. Minna approached the timid girl, who shrugged like she might have disturbed her.

"Ah, have you come here to see the demonstration?" Minna warmly welcomed the brooding girl.

"I, uh…"

"Perhaps you haven't seen me until now," the Karsland officer proceeded to introduce herself. "I am Commander Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke. I shall be your top superior for the 501st. You must have gotten lost around here."

"S-Sorry," Lynette apologized. "I was showing Yoshika around the base until we reached the shooting range. We met Perrine conversing with the Major, but she looked angry at us when we got close and chased us away."

"That Officer Clostermann…" Minna was aware of the Galian Witch's obsession with the commander. She only caught a glimpse of her being clingy when the other Witches were involved, but act this violently? Being a Witch from Fuso may have been a factor, but sooner or later, she'll have to learn to share the Major.

"The next moment," Yoshika continued. "We found lots of people gathering here. Lynn-san seemed to know what's going on."

"You must be interested in the Weisse Hexe then."

"W-Weisse Hexe?"

"The original and honorary name of the White Witch and her clan," Lynette explained. "Lieutenant Barkhorn and Officer Hartmann are performing alongside her to demonstrate her capabilities."

The reporters behind Minna started calling out as they started taking more photos. Yoshika and Lynette looked past their commander to find the White Witch, sighting her by the trail of green sparkles in between two Striker Units. The three made a 180 turn back to the audience while flying a very low altitude. Strong winds blew some debris and papers as the three Witches cruised by them. However, Yoshika sighted the girl long enough realize something that surprised her.

"Why is she flying without a Striker Unit!?"

"The Weisse Hexe clan is different from us," Lynette continued. "It is said to be the first in history, and unlike the others that followed them, they obtained their power differently. All the other clans are just derivations, including those who inherited a fraction of their power. Those directly from the Weisse Hexe clan have powers that surpass our own and are capable of doing things we cannot. For that reason, they do not need Striker Units, only a long object like a broom to produce flight."

"Wow, Lynn-san," Yoshika jumped, impressed by her knowledge. "You know a lot about her!"

"Commander Wilcke told me," Lynette answered after shaking her head. "Other than Elystadt where it originates, Karsland Witches are very knowledgeable of the Weisse Hexe legend. That's why she gets along with her far more than any of us."

"Please, Sergeant Bishop," Minna waved her hand. "Do not give your superiors too much credit."

"S-Sorry, ma'am."

As Lynette bowed in apologies, but the commander had her eyes on the time instead. The entire time, she was counting how much time elapsed since she gave the order to Barkhorn and Hartmann to gain speed. By that time, the girls should have obtained enough speed to do the job.

"It's time…"

Minna's words received an "Eh?" from the two Sergeants.

"The final act is about to end. I entrust those two to do it perfectly."

She mentioned the last performance conducted by the two Germanian Witches. They continued to trail behind Izetta as they approached the main stage. Izetta came to a grinding halt, which signaled the other two Witches to pitch straight up into the sky. It was a do-or-die situation for them now.

When they reach around 1500 meters, the two disengaged their Striker Units as instructed. For a while, the two Sergeants below gasped along with the audience. The Witches liberally letting their flying units loose was a shocking thing to see, as they now let gravity and the wind take over.

Of course, they weren't going to let themselves fall to their deaths; they had the Witch of Weisse Hexe to back them up. Just when Izetta caught the sight of the falling Striker Units, she launched into the sky reaching out to the falling units on both sides.

"Now!"

Izetta caught Lieutenant Barkhorn's pair first. Even though they were small, she needed to slow down to catch the Striker Units and levitate them in mid-air. She nearly missed Hartmann's falling pair but managed to pull through. By the time she caught both, Barkhorn and Hartmann dived past her, prompting Izetta to descend at twice the speed.

"Here!"

Barkhorn had to time it right, even if her eyes were closed, to re-equip the Striker Unit she disengaged. She could feel it coming back to her as Izetta guided them. She spread her legs out to equip both leg units, and then immediately restarted them. The more free-minded Erica had more ease with the re-equipping process as she reattached both leg units. She did not have much problem resetting compared to her Lieutenant.

As both Karsland Witches restarted their Striker Units, they immediately flipped themselves upright to counter the acceleration of gravity. They did not want to show it, but it was a hard landing, and the reporters could feel the strong winds blowing down on them. But both cut it close as they made a spiral together and regained control of their units before they crashed. The shock within the audience turned into amazement, and the cameramen continued to take pictures.

"Witness here that the White Witch is more than a mere weapon of destruction," the Archduchess continued her speech. "No longer will the Allies have to suffer the loss of fellow Witches, or fellow pilots being shot down by the enemy. As someone with the power to save and destroy, she is the ultimate weapon to take the fight against humanity's enemies, whether it be the Empire of Germania or the Neuroi."

The White Witch descended with the other Witches to mark the end of the flight performance. She hovered near Fine while Gertrud and Erica landed beside her.

"Amazing…" Yoshika gazed in awe at the gorgeous Witch in the white dress as she laid her feet on the ground. Lynette's face blushed over the performance. Minna couldn't help but laugh at their reaction; even she found the girl's power to be impressive.

"After this demonstration, there will be award ceremonies," Minna added. "The girl to the right, Officer Hartmann will obtain her medal for her confirmed 100th shot-down count."

"100!?"

Yoshika jumped over the statement. Lynette, however, was not as surprised.

"Lieutenant Barkhorn already surpassed 150, and Commander Wilcke's is around 160."

"So you've been fighting the Neuroi for that long?"

Lynette shook her head.

"Until recently, it was just the Neuroi. But then the Empire of Germania started attacking its neighbors. Now, they're trying to cross the channel, hoping to invade here as well."

"The 501st Joint Fighter Wing was made a few months ago to prepare for the impending invasion," Minna confirmed Lynette's story. "So far, the attacks have occurred in a once-a-week pattern, but the Germanians never made a move until recently. Since then, the Neuroi switched to something irregular, as if it were a response to these actions. Some even fear the Empire is working the Neuroi, using them to conquer the world just like they did since the start of the war."

"They're using the Neuroi to attack other people? Horrible," Yoshika noticed the nervous Lynette. "S-Sorry, Lynn-san."

The Britannian Witch shook her head.

"It's not an easy thing to discuss, now that nearly all of Europe has come under their control."

"Agreed," Minna joined in. "We need all the support we can get to repel this invasion. Having the legendary White Witch at the base will be beneficial for us."

Yoshika jumped before repeatedly switching between Minna and Izetta. The commander found it amusing to startled by such development.

"S-She is going to join us!?"

"Not as a member of the 501st, but she will be under our protection, and we shall support her and the Archduchess as the traditions states. A few other guests accompanied them and will be staying at the base as well."

"You're talking about Alice-san."

"I see you already met her. Mio is testing on her performance while she undergoes the paperwork. This demonstration is a test for Miss Izetta, as well as confirmation that she is a real Witch of Weisse Hexe."

They all turned their attention to the White Witch. This time, she was on the ground and near the cliff edge. She carried her immense anti-tank rifle into the distant ocean. A plane flew out in the distance, but the Witch wasn't aiming at it. Instead, she pointed at something else within the horizon. Yoshika could not see what it was, but Minna and Lynette were familiar with this kind of test.

Izetta's rifle glowed a green aura as she channeled her magic. The barrel shone so brightly that its light would blind anyone. Izetta pulled the trigger, and although she barely held onto the rifle, the recoil created a strong wind behind her that blew some papers and debris away. Yoshika covered her eyes, but the round left a streak of green light as it faded away into the distance.

After a few seconds, a small explosion erupted in the distance. A plane then shot a flare, marking a successful hit. The officers and reporters muttered to each other, amazed by Izetta's shot.

"And that nearly marks the end of the tests," Minna declared, also impressed by the results. "On the first try, too. I had my doubts, but she has a lot more power than we anticipated."

"What happened?"

"Izetta just used her magic to hit a target over a kilometer away," Lynette answered. "That's the signal showing a confirmed hit."

"Incredible," the stunned Yoshika shielded her eyes from the sun. "Even I cannot see that far away!"

"She's not the only one who fires a gun at such a long range," Minna interjected as she turned to the blushing Britannian Witch. "Sergeant Bishop is our sharpshooter within our unit."

"You can shoot as far as her?"

"It is not as powerful," the bashful Lynette answered. "But I can shoot further than the others."

"That's amazing, Lynn-san!" Yoshika clasped the girl's together with hers and shook them. "You should have proud to be power as great as hers!"

"Y-Yes, I guess so…"

"I believe that's enough chat," Minna stood between them. "The demonstration will be over soon, and I'll have to close this conference before reporting back to base. You better make it back safely before then."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Yoshika and Lynette affirmed to their commander. Minna then left the two sergeants to the next task on her schedule. But while they returned to the base, the more experienced sergeant had an uneasy feeling. After witnessing today's test, she became far more concerned about her standing.

 _Everyone's so talented and powerful, and even Miyafuji-san shows incredible potential, But now, there's this White Witch. If someone is here with that kind of power and so much more, then…what, does that mean for me? Does this mean…I don't have a place here anymore?_

* * *

The sunset dipped into the horizon over the sea. The majority of the Witches were already calling a day. Only those who were still undergoing training, on patrol duty were outside, or the recent visitors' case, returning from their duties.

"And as you can see, you will stay at our main base for the time being. Please make yourself at home."

"I understand," Fine thanked Minna. "I appreciate the hospitality you have shown us."

"It is no big deal," Minna returned. "You should be thanking your Witch for having the opportunity."

"I am unworthy of your gratitude!" Izetta shook her head with a blush, prompting the commander to giggle.

"You are quite the interesting girl for the Witch of Weisse Hexe. It's interesting how Lieutenant Barkhorn fell for you."

"You do not seem surprised over the development," Fine noticed her informal mannerisms.

"Believe me, many within mainland Europe were taken by surprise that the lost-long legendary clan has re-emerged after all this time. It's no doubt that we Karsland Witches are second only to your country know who know and honor her power. Well…almost everyone," Minna hinted at Erica Hartmann, the lazier of the Karsland Witches who didn't pay attention to history. "Lieutenant Barkhorn just has an exceptional connection to the legend, just as she does with the traditions of Karsland itself."

Fine nodded in agreement.

"From what I understand, before it transformed into Germania, Karsland had a long history with pagan beliefs since ancient times. I don't find it surprising that even as soldiers, you and the others would hold Izetta in very high regard."

The statement made Izetta blush, especially when those words came from the Archduchess herself.

"There is no need for such formality," Minna patted the Izetta's head, making her face even redder. She took her hand away as the White Witch shook her head in embarrassment. "As much as her inherent power and reputation help, what matters is the results."

"Mm," Fine agreed. "Will the performance be enough to earn support from the Allies?"

"It's too early to tell," Minna stated the inevitable. "But the Britannian officers were deeply impressed by her performance, as did Commodore Gallant. It will take time, but support for Eylstadt should now be within the distance, if not already a probability."

"I'm glad to hear that."

As they crossed the runway, they got a glimpse of a few characters they recognized. Yoshika and Lynette laid on the ground, wholly exhausted within their Striker Units. It is evident that they were doing training in the afternoon.

"It hurts…"

"So tired…"

"Oh, my," Fine noticed the two first. "It looks like your recruits have been working hard."

"That's Mio's training for you," Minna commented.

Izetta herself shivered, wondering if she'll undergo the same training, especially with Alice beside them.

"To think that Major girl would scold me for having poor stamina," Alice grasped her legs in anguish. "I've been running for all my life. How could I be so tired?"

"Perhaps you've been using your psionic abilities for a little too long," Mio joked as she and Perrine landed with their Striker Units.

"I wanted some exercise, but never thought I'd go through some boot camp like everyone else."

"As a soldier on our grounds, you are to follow the same routines as everyone else."

"Newbies like you will only be a nuisance for the rest of us," Perrine taunted.

"That's harsh for you to treat our guests," Minna politely spoke against her.

"It's their first day of training; it can't be helped," Mio laughed. "Miyafuji-san has amazing power but little control over it. Even Alice's stamina is poor compared to her and Lynn-san."

"More importantly," Perrine ignored Alice's pains, obstructing her view. "There's an aerial combat technique I want to try. Let's go at it one more time."

"Very well," Sakamoto turned to the sergeants. "Lynne-san, Miyafuji-san, that's enough for today. Return your Striker Units and get ready to call it a night."

The girls were too weak to say anything as they flew off. Perrine stuck her tongue out at Yoshika as she flew away. Only Alice managed to notice what that meant.

"Looks you made someone jealous, taking her time away from your superior officer," Alice still had enough strength speak, but Yoshika only let out an "Eh?" The Psionic merely shook her head. "I swear, you never read what others are thinking, can you?"

"S-Sorry…"

When two girls regained enough energy, they disengaged their Striker Units and shook their legs. Of the other girls, Izetta noticed how Yoshika's bruises and scrapes started disappearing. She gazed on the Fuso Witch as she easily guessed her power.

"Tell me," she spoke to the recruit. "Is your clan specialized in healing?"

"H-How did you?" Yoshika raised her eyes over the statement.

"I could see your wounds healing quickly," the White Witch then turned to Minna, and then to Lynette. "Minna-sama is about senses, and yours is close to my power."

Yoshika and Lynette gazed in awe as they laid on the ground. Minna was also impressed by this particular feat, especially her accuracy.

"You're pretty ingenious in identifying a Witch's abilities."

Izetta shook her head.

"It's just part of our power," Izetta explained. "We can sense the auras unconsciously given off by the other clans. By feeling the patterns, we can guess what kind of abilities they have with accuracy. Even the deviants who share our clan's blood are vulnerable to this power."

"Deviants?" Fine turned to Izetta.

Minna and Yoshika were also curious. They turned to Lynette, who had an uneasy look on her face.

"Many of the Witch clans are those who wanted to obtain our power, but we have to find men who can pass down our bloodline. We use our power to sense them so we could carry our clan's bloodline, but that is scarce, and our numbers dwindled to only a few of us."

"So you can only bear children with certain men, or have no children at all?"

Izetta shook her head at Alice's question.

"There are those who can bear children, even if they can't pass down the full bloodline. Those with ancestry from other Witch clans can, but only inherit a fraction of their power. Grandma kept calling them illegitimate members because they do not possess our full blood, even if they have the same powers to a degree."

"Amazing, so you two are distant relatives of one another! You should be proud of abilities, Lynn-san!" However, Yoshika could sense bitterness coming from the Britannian Witch. Izetta could see deeper as a sense of hate and self-depreciation. "Lynn-san?"

"I'm envious of you all…"

"Huh, why?"

"It's like what Izetta said. Even though our powers are similar, I'm a fake, an illegitimate relative who only has a part of the White Witch's power. Even you and Alice are much better than me." Lynnette turned to the base. "I have no redeeming qualities at all. I don't know if I even belong here, no," she turned to Izetta. "The moment you came here, I knew I had no right to be here anymore."

"Eh?" Yoshika jumped. "But Lynn-san, all I can do is heal! If your powers are like Izetta-san's, then I know that you are good!"

"Only during training. In actual warfare, I can't even fly."

"But if you can do it during training…"

"Says the one who can pilot a Striker Unit without any!" Lynette snapped at Yoshika, intimidating the young girl. Without bearing to look at the other girls, she turned away. "Excuse me…"

The young officer then ran off from the group. Yoshika sensed hurt feelings coming from Lynette's mouth. Alice merely stood there, unsure of what to say. But Izetta had guilt that went far deeper than Yoshika. Like young Sergeant, she sensed self-disgust more than anything, someone the White Witch was more than familiar with in her lifetime.

"What's her problem?" Alice said, annoyed by her depreciation.

"Lynn-san…" Yoshika muttered, wanting to chase after her.

"Don't Miyafuji," Minna called on her to stand down. "This isn't the first she's been like this, even before her arrival on this base."

"I…I…"

"Izetta-san," Fine noticed Izetta stuttering. She sighed, knowing that her close friend wanted to say something. "It's not your fault. You didn't mean to offend someone like that."

"No, it is my fault," Izetta cried. "Because I hurt her...I hurt myself…"

Alice remained annoyedly speechless. Minna sighed once more, knowing things will not be easy in the short run.

 _Perhaps this is why the Weisse Hexe clan is so small and rare. Illegitimate or not, those born with their power carry the curse of loneliness and self-hate that breeds within. One they cannot run away from, however…_

Minna faced the recruit, who stared in the distance where Officer Bishop went. She did not have to look at the White Witch to know she thought the same thing.

* * *

 _Even in a war, there's always someone who cares about people, someone who can break that curse even in the Weisse Hexe clan. Those who know that in our unit can genuinely have the right to be called a Witch._

 _And that's the prelude. I'm likely to break the battle into two or three chapters that'll cover the rest of the episode._

 _As a note, the actual shot-down count for Hartmann and Barkhorn were 200 and 250 respectively. I shortened the count not only because the story happens earlier in the fic but also make reasonable numbers regarding their rank._

 _Either way, hope you enjoyed the chapter._


	12. Episode 5-2

_The next part of the Episode is here. Before then, here are some notes._

 _First, I've revised and added more to Gertrud and Mio's quote lists. They now include some for Sailor Moon, Chibiusa, and even Vividred's Crow._

 _Second, I decided to move the next work introduced as early as next episode. Once that's done, I'll move this series from the Izetta x Strike Witches category into something more appropriate, wherever that is…_

 _Third, the small Neuroi aircraft enemies will be based on Horton 229 and Focke Rochen._

 _And now, for the chapter._

* * *

The air raid sirens went off the next morning. Even though the sun wasn't up, most of the 501st were ready to move out. Six of the members launched from the runway as they headed eastward. Mio spearheaded the attack, lifting her eyepatch to zoom into the distance.

"What are we looking at, Major?" Lieutenant Barkhorn was the closest to Sakamoto. Erica was nearby while Francesca, Perrine, and Charlotte trailed behind.

"The radar reported enemy movement from this airspace," Sakamoto instructed. "Although there are multiple contacts, they are in a less organized manner. Commander Wilcke suspects that we're dealing with Neuroi."

"The enemy must be serious if they're attacking from this time and direction," Charlotte overheard the two as she caught up. Thanks to her power, she was much faster than the normal Witch, which was characterized by the two white rabbit ears on her head. Her Striker Unit was a personal modification based on a P-51D Mustang, one of the most powerful current designs from Liberion.

"The attack force's altitude is also higher than usual," the Major added. "Barkhorn, Hartmann, you take up the front this time. Shirley, Lucchini, you take the rear. Perrine will pair up with me."

The Witches reorganized themselves into three rows. Mio continued to view the airspace ahead of them to keep watch for the enemy.

"Too bad those rookies couldn't come with us, wouldn't you say, Shirley?" Francesca turned her ally by on the side, who only gave a mischievous smile.

"This is the front line," Perrine replied in irritation. "Rookies will only slow us down."

"Come on, Perrine. It's better than having the Commander babysit them over the mission."

The Galian Witch huffed to the side, concentrating more on her beloved superior.

"The enemy will not wait for them to grow," Barkhorn commented. "They're better going home than staying here."

"At least we won't have any insubordination in our ranks," Erica joked, which only Gertrud could understand. Even then, she did not comment.

"Heads up!" Mio called out as she spotted the enemy. "The enemy's approaching!"

The girl continued ahead as a swarm of Neuroi vessels came into their sight. It wasn't long before another battle was underway.

* * *

Back at the base, some of the recruits wandered near the hanger. Although they got up like everyone else in response to the siren, they were ordered to remain on the base. The attack required professionals, and other than those used for night patrol and the commander, the others were just greenhorns still undergoing training. There were also the two combat-capable guests that didn't have any actual rank.

"Why can't we launch as well?"

Alice waved her legs while sitting on the concrete plane of the hangar bay. Yoshika and Izetta stood by each other as they witnessed the Witches scramble to intercept. Of all the girls, Alice was the most frustrated since that meant fewer enemies to fight.

"It's per orders," Minna stood by the stationed girls, responding to Alice's question. "You're still a civilian, and Yoshika and Lynette are Witches-in-training."

"What about you, Izetta-san?" Alice turned to the White Witch, who was more guilty, yet should be freer than the others. Even though Alice and the others were ordered to stand by, Izetta was not a member of the 501st and took orders from her Archduchess instead.

"The Princess wanted to keep me on the base. She has a bad feeling about this attack and didn't want me to go."

"Fine wishes to keep her safe from danger," the Commander explained. "Furthermore, she has yet to disclose more information about her abilities. If it is Fine's wishes, then we shall not argue against her."

Izetta slept in the same room as the Archduchess during the night. When the radar tower sounded the alarm, she went into a panic until Fine calmed her down. Before Minna's briefing, Izetta received a talk to refrain herself from fighting too much. As much as she wanted to protect her friend, she was still too valuable to be lost and inexperienced against the Neuroi.

Yoshika was just as alert as Izetta, but as a soldier with no one else sleeping with her, she was more ready to participate. However, she noticed something peculiar this time around.

"By the way, Minna-san, have you seen Lynn-san anywhere?"

"Not today, unfortunately," Minna shook her head. "Did you try her room?"

"I knocked on the door, but she wouldn't answer."

Even though the alarm went off, the Britannian Witch did not appear. As her neighbor next door, Yoshika didn't even see her leave. She even called to her a few times, but there was no answer, so she thought that Lynette either was still sleeping or already left for the briefing. She could not find her at the briefing at all, which meant she remained locked up that night.

"She's probably still reeling about what Izetta said," Alice guessed. "I don't know what she's thinking, but she needs to get over it sooner or later."

"It's more burdening than you think," Minna stepped, speaking sharply to Alice's words.

"Minna-san," Yoshika turned to her commander as she addressed the three girls.

"Miyafuji, Miss Izetta, I need to have a word with you about Sergeant Bishop."

As the most self-depreciated of the three, Izetta was the one to speak first.

"M-Miss Wilcke, if it is about what I said before, I wanted to say that I'm-"

"That's not the problem here," the commander calmed her down, switching to a different topic. "Tell me, why did you two come to Britannia? Why do you choose to stand by the Witches rather than stay at your respective homes?"

"I-I just wanted to stand by the Princess," Izetta answered as Minna faced her first. "She wants to help her country, so we both journeyed here to gain allies who would join us. It had nothing to do with the other Witches."

"I just wanted to find where the action was," Alice pounded her fists together. "I need to fight in real battles if I want to get stronger."

Minna sighed over the hot-blooded girl while turning to the recruit.

"And you, Sergeant Yoshika?"

"I wish to help those who were in need."

Of all the answers given, Yoshika's response gave the most positive reaction. Or at least, that's what prompted her to respond.

"Those were the same words she said when she first arrived on the base," Minna addressed. "In case you haven't learned already, Britannia is not only the remaining stable part of Europe not threatened by war or disorder like in Eylstadt and Central Europe. It is also her homeland."

Izetta found herself surprised like Yoshika was. Alice didn't find it too interesting as the commander continued.

"Because Britannia is a critical member of the Allies, the pressure is overwhelming for her. She succumbs to her fears of failing and blames herself when anything bad happens. Such a mindset severely hinders her ability in actual warfare."

"Then," Yoshika wondered. "She wanted to prove her worth, too!"

"When you put it that way, Lynette is no different from the three of you," Minna got close to the recruit to the point it made her blush. "Yoshika, you said you wanted to help people." She went to the White Witch and patted her head, causing her to shake it in embarrassment. "And Miss Izetta, you came here so you could defend Eylstadt for your Archduchess, no? Never forget those feelings, and I'm sure you'll be able to help anyone."

Yoshika and Fine were left astounded by the Commander's words. Meanwhile, Minna went to Alice and did not give any friendly gestures.

"As for you, Alice, you need to start finding something you want to protect as well," the commander advised the Psionic girl in a serious tone. "Fine told me about your mission, about how you seek to save the world. But you left your homeland and are directionless about where to go right after. What's the point in saving the world if there's nowhere for you to return?"

"But I…"

"Please understand this. Not just for us, but your own sake as well."

"I…"

Minna's last words left Alice trailing before she left the group to their own devices. It wasn't that she couldn't argue against her; she just never gave the idea any thought. As for the others, they don't know to help, but they at least know what to do.

* * *

The 501st Witches that were dispatched to intercept closed in on the enemy Neuroi force. Mio's eye sighted a wave of eight incoming units, four of them looked like floating gunships while the other four were flying wings.

"Multiple Neuroi units, incoming!" Mio warned her squadron as she closed her eyepatch. "All units, attack!"

The squadron broke up as they confronted the enemy aircraft. The Neuroi craft fired beams at the intercepting force. After dodging the beams, the Witches responded in kind by returning fire.

Barkhorn and Erica were the first two engage. The Lieutenant took out one of the flying wings without putting up her shield. Erica got to the side of another and performed her special attack, the Sturm, which looked like a normal barrel roll but also manipulated strong winds. The enemy craft lost control of its flight before she gunned it down from above. Francesca and Shirley went in a scissors formation to avoid the enemy fire while taking out three of the gunship units. Perrine went ahead of Mio to gun down another flying wing.

The Major, on the other hand, found something odd about this attack. None of the Neuroi appeared to have any cores. That was more obvious when she cut down the last flying wing unit; it did not regenerate its damaged wing. She searched the falling craft with her eye, which further confirmed that suspicion.

Barkhorn finished off the remaining Neuroi craft as it plunged into the sea.

"Enemy targets eliminated."

"Alright," Francesca cheered. "Another mission accomplished!"

"It's too early to say that," Mio denounced as she closed her eyepatch again.

"This is strange," Perrine also caught the same suspicions that Mio did. "Aren't these units going down easier than they should?"

"I'm not finding any cores within the units either."

"You don't mean...this attack fleet was a diversion?"

"In that case," Perrine's words made the Major realize it. "The base is in danger!"

* * *

Back on the base, Yoshika, Izetta, and Alice stood by the door to Lynette's room. Yoshika was the closest while Izetta and Alice remained by the sides.

"Lynn-san, can you hear me?" The young Sergeant asked politely.

"L-Lady Bishop, I want to apologize about last night," Izetta added.

There was still no response. But after checking everywhere else, there was no other place Lynette could be. The door was also locked, which certainly could not have been done from the outside.

"We know you're in there," Alice joined in. "What we ought to tell you is that you need to stop blaming yourself for everything."

There was still no response, which prompted her to be blunter and more aggressive.

"Everyone here has something at stake here. You're not the only one pressured about protecting those you love or feeling so guilty about being helpless! Why can't you understand that?"

Lynette Bishop kept her back against the door. She had been like this ever since she woke up. Even though she dressed up and got ready for battle, she could not bear leaving the room. Alice's words that were supposed to bring their point across only prompted a hurtful reaction, which shook the door a little.

"L-Lady Bishop," Izetta spoke up after a moment of silence. "If you feel guilty about yourself, then I feel worse about myself than you ever did."

The White Witch's words caused the Britannian girl to ease her tension. At the very least, it got Lynette to listen.

"Ever since my childhood, as a descendant of Weisse Hexe, I've always lived with no one else other than my grandmother. She always shunned me for my power, and always told me never to use them even if it's to help people just like our ancestor. Even now, I feel hateful of myself for having this power, and not being able to live a lifestyle like anyone else."

Lynne did not want to deny what she said. Not only was she part of a wealthy merchant family, but she also had a large family with several other siblings, including a father and mother. But besides being in a wealthy family, she never had that the friends Izetta had. Even then, she did not expect the White Witch to speak those words.

"You had something to protect long before I did. I only had the Princess, and that was after years of living with my grandmother. I should be the one with no redeemable qualities."

Lynette's hands softened. It wasn't enough to motivate her, but she sensed the same feelings she always knew. They were of self-doubt, shame, and lack of value in the world. Those same feelings must have plagued the White Witch, just like how they plagued her.

"I'm not so good as a Witch either," Yoshika's followed. "I'm terrible at magic, and always get scolded. I can't fly well, and I hate using guns. I don't even want to fight anyone, even if it's a Neuroi. But…I want to be in the Witches. Because if my magic can save even one person, if there's something no one else can do, then I want to do it. I protect this unit, and…to protect everyone!"

 _Protect?_

That word triggered something within Lynette. Her body released all tension as she faced the door.

"You and Yoshika are not the only ones who wish to make a change either," Alice added. "Izetta and I know this, too. You are capable of doing things even your White Witch can never do. If you want to know, you can ask her right here and now. She'll tell you everything, and that you should be grateful for who you are!"

"Izetta-san, Alice-san, and I will do our best," Yoshika finished her speech. "So that's why you should, too, Lynn-san!"

The astounded Lynette was left speechless from the girls' speeches. It was probably the first time she heard someone say any of that to her. Not even her family offered that kind of encouragement during her life. For that reason, she was desperate to find more.

But before she could exit the door, the air raid sirens went off again. That could only mean one thing; another attack was incoming.

* * *

Minna called for Eila within one of the meeting halls. After getting reports of new sightings, she was desperate to stage a counterattack.

"Our radar suddenly found a new enemy Neuroi force attacking from the south. There's also a high-speed unit that's far out of range from our main force."

The initial attack looked like the enemy attempted to attack Britannia while remaining by the edge of the bases' range. The size was too great for them to let it pass by, so they had to intercept. It was still an error on her part to not account for a second wave.

"Judging by the current path, they're both aiming for this base," Fine read the same report. "I doubt an evacuation is an option."

Minna shook head in confirmation.

"This base is the currently the largest stronghold keeping the Neuroi from attacking cities such as London. We need to hold here, but Eila and I are the only ones who can launch."

"Sanya used up all of her magic during her night patrol," the Soumus Witch made an X with her fingers. "No good for her."

Fine sighed over the situation, sharing the same frustration as the commander.

"Very well, the two of us will go then."

"Then why not make it five?"

The boast came from Alice, who rushed from the hallway. Izetta appeared a little later, breathing heavily after running such a short distance. But Minna knew their condition and orders.

"You are to remain on this base."

"You said this base was in danger," Alice protested as she turned to Izetta. "Her princess is on this base. There's no way we're going to stand by while it gets torn apart!"

"Please, Miss Wilcke, Princess," Izetta pleaded. "Allow me and Alice to go!"

"I cannot order civilians to go off against a Neuroi force," Minna protested. "And the Archduchess does not want to put Izetta in great danger."

"Then allow me to go as well!"

Yoshika entered the room next, remaining strong and upstanding in front of the commander.

"It's too soon for you to fight in an actual battle. Besides, you're still hesitant to shoot."

"I'll shoot if it's to protect someone!"

"Even so, you three are inexperienced and don't have proper military training."

"Then I will go, too!" Lynette came in afterward. "Yoshika and I can still at least amount to one!"

Minna gazed on Lynette's eyes. Those were not the same ones she usually saw when seeing the Britannian Witch. She was always quiet and reserved, and her eyes remained dull. Perhaps her words, or rather the other three girls said something that motivated her. What mattered was that this wasn't the same Lynette, at least not at the moment.

"Please, Princess," Izetta also demanded from the Archduchess "Alice and I will protect this base."

Izetta's eyes were now becoming a more common occurrence for the Archduchess. It became more evident that every decision she made to her, despite her protested, were completely resolute.

"Very well," Fine accepted her request. "Just promise that you'll be back."

"Lady Fine," Minna faced the Archduchess. "Those two may be your accomplices, but they're putting themselves at great risk without military training. Besides, will they be able to use their magic in this area?"

"Magic?" Yoshika faced Izetta, confused by what the commander meant. Lynette also drew the same blank.

"Izetta is my friend, and Alice has already proven to be a capable fighter. If it's to protect me, then there's nothing I can do to stop them."

Minna then turned to the other three girls, including Alice despite her lack of military rank.

"Nothing will change your minds, won't you?" She received no replies from any of them. "You two, get ready in ninety seconds! Alice and Miss Izetta, you two follow my lead and await further orders!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

The two Sergeants ran off to prepare their Striker Units. Alice and Izetta tagged alongside Minna and Eila as they headed down to the launch bay, hoping to be ready in time.

* * *

 _The next chapter will complete the battle and have the epilogue. Once that's done, that'll finish everything related to just Izetta x Witches x original content for MGC._

 _Either way, I hope you enjoyed the reading._


	13. Episode 5-3

_Alright, now to finish the Episode._

 _Note: The commanding Neuroi would be the Rheintochter X-3 in its first form and the Kramer X-4 in its second form like in Episode 3 of Strike Witches._

* * *

The second squadron of girls launched from the Dover base. Yoshika and Lynette launched together from the runway, shortly right after Minna and Eila did. Alice and Izetta took off elsewhere and joined the group after that. They did not follow a formation like the other Witches did but were right beside the two younger Witches.

Eila flew in a Striker Unit that resembled the G-2 model of Germania's Me 109 and carried an MG 42, both of which were owned by Karsland. She had the ears and tail of a black fox and helped Minna forecast future attacks conducted by the Neuroi. Minna's Striker Unit was a G-2/R6 model of the same plane. She carried an MG42 like her Karlsand comrades and a Walther PPK by the side. Her ears and tail were that of a gray wolf, which contributed to her powers. She could map the area and designate any number of targets by their direction, position, and classification. Bascially, she was a walking radar system.

"The radar shows two waves of Neuroi moving towards this base," Minna briefed the girls. Major Sakamoto informed her that she realized the diversion but will only assist in intercepting one of the two new attack forces. "A large fleet is approaching from the south while a fast one is moving from the west."

"So, you'd like us to deal with that large force, while you deal with the smaller unit?" Alice assumed those where their orders. Next to her was a line of lances kept in flight by Izetta's magic as shown by the trails of sparkles. These were specially tuned by the Eylstadt's smiths, who converted them into timed bombs; they would start the timer after impact, set for a few seconds before detonation. They were made to destroy Germania's tanks and other larger armored targets, so they were effective at killing Neuroi as well. "Good thing we brought those extra lances along. Your Princess and her friends sure come prepared, don't they?"

"I will never be able to repay the Princess and her friends for this gift."

Minna nodded as she continued her orders.

"You will provide support while we intercept the fast unit. Do not let any units pass through you."

"You got it!" Alice assured.

Minna and Eila accelerated ahead of them to catch up to the fast unit. The greener soldiers were now alone together.

The Britannian Witch among the group flew on a Striker Unit based on her country's Spitfire Mk. IX. Her primary weapon was a Boys anti-armor rifle she used as a sniper rifle against the Neuroi. Finally, her ears and tail were that of a straight-eared Scottish fold cat. The Witch remained uneasy, even when she gained the strength to launch with the other girls.

"Miyafuji, Alice, M-Miss Izetta," Lynette stuttered to gain their attention. "To tell you the truth, I was scared."

"I was scared, too, Lynn-san," Yoshika shared her feelings. "But I was even more scared about doing nothing at all."

Lynette nodded to the Witch. To not do anything at all…perhaps, there was truth to her words. But there was another matter she wanted to ask.

"Um, Miss Izetta," she contacted the White Witch to her surprise. "Sorry, but Alice said that there are some things you could not do. Your Princess also said something about using your magic? What did she mean by that?"

"I…"

Before Izetta could answer, Minna's voice broke within the intercom.

"Heads up! The Neuroi are approaching!"

On their three, they sighted a fleet of enemy ships approaching their position. They were composed of flying wings and gunship units, which came in overwhelming numbers but made Alice's blood boil even more.

"Alright! Time to take them out!"

"Bishop, Miyafuji," Minna called to the other Witches. "I need you two to help take down the fast one. You let Alice and Izetta handle the rest."

"R-Right!"

The two Witches broke off, leaving the two non-military girls on their own.

"Fine by us! More bad guys for us to take down! Right, Izetta?"

Alice turned to the uneasy White Witch, who faced the army of Neuroi ships that stood before them. The numbers were overwhelming, but as long as they threatened the Archduchess, that did not matter to her. The only concern was the one that she did not share with Lynette. She checked her mana pool, and the response showed that the area was stable for her to fight.

"Everyone!" Izetta lined up her lances as she turned to the alien craft.

Alice went on ahead, hoping the Neuroi ships would attack her first. She got the first strike as she threw the first two sparks, destroying one of the flying wings. Although they retaliated by firing their beams that Alice, who dodged with a barrel roll, they didn't stop their course and merely passed by the Psionic girl.

The Neuroi converged onto Izetta, who sent her lances to attack them. The enemy ships fired their beams, which varied in success. Some beams deflected thanks to the magic imbued into the lances while others shot them down. The lances were intelligent enough that some avoided the beams before hitting their targets.

Several Neuroi craft were destroyed, but the remaining continued towards the Witches, Izetta in particular. Alice swung around to down another couple of gunship-like Neuroi as a few fired more beams against her in retaliation. Many of the flying wings converged onto the White Witch, prompting her to move around in a panic, evading the beams that came after her. She sent more of her lances to attack the wings that passed by her, sending them into the channel.

Alice continued to fight off the enemy craft. Using her wind attacks, she cut through several more flying wing types and gunship units as she narrowly avoided their shots. Another beam grazed her by the gauntlet, but that did not stop her from countering with another spark against the gunship that fired it. One more flying wing flew on a collision course against her, firing a few beams at her. She responded in kind by propelling herself forward and ramming through with her fist and flames, apparently cleaving the aircraft in two.

Alice thought highly of herself as she was now getting used to fighting the Neuroi. She headed over to Izetta's location; the White Witch was still having trouble with the number of beams and ships surrounding her. She barely avoided a beam that tore through her clothing as she fired an empowered shell from her rifle into another gunship.

 _It looks like Witches aren't the only things attracted to her,_ Alice thought. As she observed, the Neuroi were almost ignoring Alice other than shooting back whenever she attacked. They seemed more focused on attacking the White Witch rather than the base. Why that was, she could never guess.

Izetta continued to avoid the beams as she navigated around the Neuroi craft. She called on more lances to destroy several more machines to get them out of the way. However, just when she was about to call another set of units, she noticed something terrible happen. Her rifle started losing its magic.

"E-EEHH!?" At random moments, Izetta found herself descending closer to the ocean, barely receiving any magic in the area. That also applied to her lances, which started plummeting to the ground.

"Izetta!" Alice caught the sight of the falling White Witch. After avoiding another volley of beams, she descended to rescue her. The enemy craft continued to fire as they nearly missed their depowered target. Two managed to get her clothes while another damaged her by the rifle, sending her spinning.

The Psionic girl used her power to throw a wave of fire and strong winds to distract the enemy force. Once the Neuroi stopped firing their beams, she rocketed towards the White Witch, catching her just before she hit the water.

"T-Thank you," Izetta could not help but appreciate her rescuer coming at a critical moment. With only her feet to propel herself, Alice carried Izetta over across the water.

"That was a close one back there," Alice commented. "You better not use your magic all at once."

Izetta shook her head, indicating that it was not the problem.

"It looks like there are some gaps in this part of the channel. My magic is not as strong as it used to be."

"I'll help get you stable for now. But after that, we have to stop them from reaching those two."

Nodding to Alice's statement, she reached out for another response. Once she got a decent amount of mana ready, she imbued her rifle and sought to recollect her lances. It wasn't long before she resumed fighting back against the Neuroi.

* * *

Yoshika and Lynette observed the battle from afar. They were ordered to stand guard, directly in front of the fast Neuroi's path, while Minna and Eila engaged. But without new orders, they took the time to observe the battle with their comrades.

"Izetta…."

"Izetta-san…"

Both just observed Izetta nearly crashing down into the channel. It was like she lost control of her magic or, considering how her rifle and lances stopped sparkling, she ran out of it. Alice had to rescue the girl before dragging her until she radiated with green energy again. Perhaps this was what the Psionic girl and Archduchess mentioned about the White Witch?

Before they could ponder more, their Commander's voice came into the intercom.

"Miyafuji, Yoshika! The Neuroi has accelerated! You're the only ones we can rely on. Take it down now!"

During their pursuit, Minna and Eila tailed behind the enemy Neuroi. Because the craft was unusually fast and close to the water, hit-and-run tactics were not an option. Therefore, they had to get behind and match the unit's speed. But after doing what looked like significant damage to the Neuroi, it suddenly disengaged its lower section. Besides getting distracted by the ejected rear half, the frontal half accelerated way beyond the Witches' top speed.

It was now up to Lynette and Yoshika to take it down. Lynette panicked over their orders but proceeded fire at the enemy craft. However, not only did the Neuroi avoid her shots, but she fired sloppily.

"It's no good! I can't hit it!"

"Your powers are like that of Izetta's," Yoshika reminded the girl. "You can move your shots as she can!"

"It's taking all I have just to fly! I can't!"

"Don't worry! If you're good during training, then you'll do fine here!"

"But…"

Lynette did not except Yoshika's next move, who swooped under her. She rested underneath the Britannian Witch, grabbing both legs and resting her back under her crotch. Lynette no longer felt herself moving, although the position was disturbing for her.

"I'll keep you stable," Yoshika assured her Witch comrade, who blushed out of her mind. "You can focus on shooting now, right?"

The Britannian girl was too embarrassed to answer, but continuous Neuroi beams diverted her attention. Alice and Izetta continued to intercept the enemy force; the former threw two sparks at another flying wing, and Izetta destroyed three more craft with her lances.

"Don't worry about us!" Alice called out to them in the intercom. "We still got it from here!"

But then, a continuous rain of gunfire came from the side. The rest of the 501st joined the two girls as they intercepted the large fleet.

"We'll continue to divert the enemy force," Mio said after listening in on Lynette and Yoshika's conversation. "You just focus on the target, understand?"

"R-Roger!"

Both of the recruits returned to the task at hand. With all worries cleared, Lynette focused all of her attention on confronting the Neuroi.

 _If I can predict the Neuroi's future position after evading and aim there,_ the Witch could do more than control her shots. Although it was out of instinct rather than an ability like Eila's, she could accurately predict a target's trajectory with the next few moments. Of course, she needed to get the craft to move around first.

"Miyafuji, shoot with me!" Lynette called to Miyafuji below, who aimed her weapon at the machine. If she could get someone to create diversionary fire, it will allow her to get a better read on the enemy's flight pattern. Now she needed to focus…

"Now!"

At her signal, Yoshika fired her machinegun, prompting the Neuroi to evade. By obtaining the enemy craft's flight pattern, Lynette responded with several shots from her anti-armor rifle. With every shot, she manipulated their trajectory as if they homed in on their target. The first few grazed the Neuroi by the side, causing it to swerve. The next shot after was a more direct hit, sending it barreling into the water. The last shot pierced through its core, shattering it into white shards.

The strong winds brought by the Neuroi blew its remains into the faces of both Witches, sending them flying backward. When the mist settled in, both Witches jerked around to see what happened. There were no signs of the enemy Neuroi, and the 501st assisted Alice and Izetta in taking care of the rest.

"Target destroyed," Minna confirmed. "You did it!"

"We did it?" When Lynette realized that she got her first kill, she jumped for joy by hugging her friend below. "We did it, Miyafuji! We did it!"

Lynette's celebration caused Miyafuji to lose her balance. Both girls spun out of control as they plunged into the water.

"Miyafuji!"

"L-Lady Bishop!"

Mio flew alongside Izetta and Alice as the others finished off the remaining Neuroi craft. The two recruits burst from the water and laughed together over the incident. The other three girls flew over to lend them a hand.

"I think you should wait until you're on the shore before you start celebrating, right, Major?"

That was the first time Alice got her rank right. At least that was the one she knew, and one of the more important ones at that. Major Sakamoto laughed alongside the other two Witches still in the ocean.

"I'm glad that everyone made it okay."

The two girls nodded as they grabbed Mio and Izetta's hand. Lynette felt a little blush as the White Witch pulled her above the water. It wasn't long before the sergeants could restart their Striker Units and continued flying.

"Mission accomplished, everyone," Minna congratulated those present. "All personnel return to base."

"Yes, ma'am!"

With the crisis averted and the base secure, all the girls headed back for a debriefing.

* * *

Of the girls on the base, Lynette was the most pleased. Not only did she accomplish more than ever, but she gained new friends along the way. She couldn't help but congratulate the ones who supported her on the runway.

"Alice, Miyafuji, thank you for everything. It's because of you that I was useful to someone."

The Psionic girl patted the Britannian Witch by her head.

"What are you talking about? You did this all yourself!"

Lynette shook her head, both in objection and to get her hand off. Each of the three girls had their fair share of supporting her, but she had to thank the youngest of the three.

"If it weren't for Miyafuji, I wouldn't have done anything useful!"

"It's Yoshika," the newer recruit told her, leaving her confused for the moment. "We're friends, aren't we? You can call me Yoshika-chan!"

"In that case, you can keep calling me Lynn-chan!"

Both girls chuckled together as the Britannian Witch hugged her new friend, her breasts pressing on her face and suffocating her.

Meanwhile, Alice caught a glimpse of a little rodent creature she hadn't seen for a long time.

"Alice-sama, is that you? Thank Paradox, I found you."

Tipler hopped over with his two feet, accompanying the Archduchess by her side.

"What are you talking about, Tipler? I was looking for you the other day!"

"The boat made me seasick, and you already left before I could reach you," Tipler placed his hands on his stomach to show it still happening. It was the first time he ever rode on a boat, and he was a small creature, so his stomach churned more than a human's. Fine and Bianca took her to nearby veterinarian upon reaching the shore, despite the personnel there being oblivious as to what they were treating. "Goodness, you bring a lot of trouble."

"Well, I…"

While Alice was left to contend with the Murlock, the Archduchess sighed with relief upon encountering the battered and tattered White Witch.

"Thank goodness, Izetta."

"Sorry, Archduchess," he apologized, still holding onto her torn dress. She only received a pat on the cheek, causing her to blush.

"I'm glad you're safe. That's all that matters."

After noticing the White Witch, and giving Yoshika some time to breathe, Lynette ran off to greet her next new friend. Or perhaps, virtually, she was her late relative.

"Oh, Sister Izetta! I wanted to talk to you!"

"S-Sister!?" That word made Izetta jump, which stopped Lynette from grabbing her hand.

"Don't you like being called a sister?"

"N-No, it's not, but-"

"Then you can call me Sister Lynette!"

"I…I…"

Izetta was left speechless. Her face went red as she looked away to Fine, who only gave a soft laugh.

"It can't be helped."

"You girls did well out there," Minna stepped in. "For that, I am grateful for you."

"I-I am unworthy of your gratitude!"

As Izetta bowed before the commander of the 501st, she missed the other Witches approaching her.

"Ah, so this is the rumored Weisse Hexe girl that Lucchini talked about," Shirley came in, still holding her Browning machinegun. "Never thought the Queen of Witches would be so submissive."

"Why are you talking about her like that!?" The Galian Witch among exclaimed among the group. "She isn't that type of girl!"

"M-Miss P-Perrine?"

Izetta stuttered for the moment. Mio turned to the pale girl, curious as to what she meant.

"Is there something you want to say, Perrine-san?"

It was already too late when the Galian Witch realized her mistake. Now all the other girls, especially Francesca, inquired more about her interest in the White Witch.

"Don't tell me, you have an eye for someone else other than the Major, don't you?"

"N-Nothing! It's nothing!"

"Miss Clostermann," Izetta wanted to talk to her but was chased away instead.

"There's nothing out there between us two! Just leave me alone!"

The pigheaded girl stomped away, leaving Izetta and Fine pandering and the other Witches even more curious. What exactly was their relationship? No one else knew.

"Alright, that's enough for today," Minna cut in before facing the two younger Witches. "Miyafuji, Bishop, you did a good job. However, I need to see you two this afternoon."

That turned the girls' attention away from Perrine and back to the greenhorns of the unit. Even Yoshika was confused over the matter.

"Is something wrong, Minna-san?"

"No, but there is something we must discuss now that it has come this. Fine…"

The Archduchess nodded in compliance. Although Izetta did not have to come along, they both knew that this was inevitable. Even though they were not observed by human enemies, discounting the Neuroi, they did not expect it to be so soon.

"A meeting with the Commander?" Erica gave a smug grin.

"Maybe they're getting some time off?" Shirley joked.

"Or maybe they're getting scolded for falling into the water," Francesca teased.

"That is nothing of your concern," the commander said with a sharp tongue before facing her second-in-command for the unit. "Major Sakamoto, please escort Izetta and the others back to the base. Lieutenant Barkhorn and I will handle everything from here."

"As you say, Minna-san," the Major complied before ordering the team. "Everyone, head back to the hangar this instant!"

"Roger!"

The majority of the 501st went on ahead and followed Mio's lead. It wasn't long before Yoshika and Lynette were alone with Minna, Gertrud, and the other guests not belonging to the unit. Yoshika swore she could see the Lieutenant's cold eyes gazing on Yoshika.

"Minna-san, what's going on?" Miyafuji broke the silence as if the commander wanted her to speak first. "Did we do something wrong?"

"Commander Wilcke," Lynette spoke next, believing she was the one at fault. "If it's about not getting up until late, I can explain."

"This has nothing to do with you," Minna assured them before turning away. "This is about Miss Izetta."

"Izetta-san?" the young Fuso Witch also turned to the redhead, who displayed a face of guilt.

"Coming to think of it," Lynette recalled, "She had trouble with flying during the battle and needed Alice to pick her up."

The two Karsland Witches nodded in agreement. It was something that they already knew, which now became much more comfortable to explain.

"Please follow me, and we shall discuss this matter personally."

The two young Witches followed their superiors as did their guests of Eylstadt. Only Alice and her Murlock friend stayed behind, but they already knew where this was heading.

"Guess the secret's out."

"Alice-sama?"

"Izetta had problems during the battle this morning. Those two must have both seen her struggling and requiring me to get her back afoot."

"So that means," Tipler came to the same conclusion as Alice nodded.

"They know the secret, too, about Izetta's power."

"Then it won't be long before the rest also know."

Alice remained silent over the matter. There was nothing they could do for now. After all, they were still civilians in the eyes of the 501st. They had no say in the manner. Besides, the Psionic girl had something else to discuss.

"Tell me, Tipler. Is there someplace you'd like to go?"

"What are you saying, Alice-sama?" Tipler jumped over such an unusual statement.

"I mean, once we finish off the Vilag and save the world. Is there something you want to do after this is all over?"

"Why are you asking such questions?"

"Because the commander told me," Alice explained, recalling her words before her battle. "That I need something to protect. Otherwise, fighting the Vilag and saving the world isn't worth anything. Can you believe something like that?"

"Well, I," Tipler had nothing to say. Just like Alice, the Murlock never give it any thought. He was only tasked to help one of two girls and ensure that they saved the world. The question of what to do next was never part of his master's instructions.

"I don't know what she's talking about, but it's not like I'm _not_ going to find out. Wherever I go is for me to decide, and that goes for you, once this is all over."

"It is as you say, Alice-sama."

Perhaps what Alice should have said was the reverse, asking where _she_ wanted to go rather than Tipler, who was supposed to be her subordinate. It's not like she had any time to think about it either. After all, they're on a mission and have to fight their way to the very end.

* * *

Night had filled the Britannian sky. Perhaps it was because the islands were so high up the latitude, they experienced a longer daytime or nighttime than usual. During the summer or spring, it became more balanced, though increasingly longer or shorter every day.

However long the daytime was meant more or less sleep time for Sanya, who patrolled in her black Striker Unit based on Orussia's MiG 60. Her black cat ears scanned the area for any enemies that decided to attack. The Neuroi were known to come out at night, and no one wanted to be caught sleeping.

Of course, the Neuroi was not the only enemy that would dare to attack at night. Ever since the rise of Germania, there were fears of them coming in with an invasion force that could threaten the island. Currently, Orussia and Germania signed a non-aggression pact years before the latter's invasion of other countries. However, Orussia remained wary of their neighbor just like their Suomus ally. Suomus was more open against Germanian attack, but Orussia was a different matter. Should she engage the enemy force, the Orussian military will deny any involvement unless somehow, the non-aggression pact was broken.

Sanya remained as a scout, attacking only the Neuroi and warning over a Germanian invasion should that occur. She checked her Fliegerhammer, a four-barreled rocket launcher that belonged to the Karsland resistance movement, which was her only means of defense besides her magic shield. She did one last scan over the area, both with her eyes and Magic Antennas, to sense any hostile activities. So far, her nocturnal eyes saw nothing unusual, and her radar abilities came clean.

"Nothing else to observe."

It was probably the last lap of her patrol. She already found herself tired, and nothing came up this entire night. Only music stations from Britannia's radio towers and traffic from the airbases came into her ears. And then…

"Ekk," Sanya cringed over what sounded like static in her ears. Because her ears were sensitive to electronic signals, it made sense that her ears were in pain.

"W-What?"

She hesitated for the moments jerking around for any unusual activity. She honestly had never experienced this kind of activity through her ears, as if they were going to rupture. Was this the Neuroi's doing? Or was it Germania's?

When she found nothing in the sky, Sanya descended to the ground. With the clouds in their way, it was possible that enemies would sneak under her from the bottom. It was a quick search for any moving shadows, but again, nothing came up. Still, it was something she couldn't just let slide.

"Sleepy," the Orussian Witch yawned as she eased her guard and returned to Dover. She decided to write a report for now and leave the rest to Minna. At the very least, it was better than not reporting this at all and being reprimanded for it later.

What she didn't realize was the source of the electronic disturbance. Within the distance, but under the clouds where the Witch couldn't see, an electrical storm sparked by the water. It was brief and lasted only for a few seconds, but it was enough to leave something behind. Drifting in the channel was a humanoid figure far too big to be an actual human. It resembled more like a machine, which had runes and lines that should glow. The machine was out of power for now, but it would not take long for someone to discover it. It was just a matter of when, and a question of how.

* * *

 _And that concludes the episode._

 _Next episode, I will introduce the following work from the roster. While there's a clue here, it'll be a while since it doesn't officially appear until the second part of the next episode._

 _Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter._


	14. Episode 6-1

_Now for the next Episode. In this chapter, I will introduce the third work on the selected roster, though that will not exactly come until the second part. Before then, I'll be getting to more on Germania and Karsland and the Witches' relationship with the Weisse Hexe legend._

 _Note: The Neuroi in this scene is based on the YB-35/YB-49 as found in the first few minutes of Episode 4 in Strike Witches._

* * *

 _Skies burned red over what was once the capital of old Karsland. What was once the major center of the old kingdom has now become a ruined landscape, a testimony to the new empire that was Germania._

 _Out in the distance, a wave of ME 109 fighters flew above the burning city. They witnessed as the Neuroi moved in overhead, raising whatever structures to the ground and destroying all man-made machines that were still intact. Unfortunately, for those below, these planes were not meant to protect the people._

 _"JG 132 to HQ," the radio called out in one of the planes. "We have entered Berlin airspace and sighted the Neuroi fleet."_

 _"Understood," the commander's voice. "Refrain from engaging the Neuroi force."_

 _"Sir?"_

 _"Orders from the Special Unit: you are to ignore the Neuroi fleet and target the Karsland insurgents in the area. They are most likely at a broken train on the rail system following the Autobahn. Do you have visual?"_

 _"Y-Yes, sir."_

 _"Continue with your attack run. Remember, you're going up against the JG 52. Use your training and engage all prioritized targets in the area. That is all."_

 _That was the chatter coming from Bassler's plane, who was still a Flying Officer at the time. As joyous as he was in living his dream to fly the skies, he didn't expect this battle to be against such dangerous targets._

 _Said targets were the primary aces among the mentioned fighter unit, particular the Witches within it._

 _Near the ground below, Lieutenant Barkhorn observed the running masses who were escaping from the trains. Karsland agents below her engaged the enemy soldiers trying to gun them down. Unlike normal former Karsland and Germanian soldiers, these forces belonged to the Schutzstaffel, the personal armies of the new Kaiser. They were escorting the dissidents away from the battle and getting them to safety where the boats waited to evacuate them._

 _Barkhorn joined the other Witches as they provided air support above. While her comrades were covering them on the ground, but they were still vulnerable from the air, especially against the Neuroi. Her unit distracted and outright engaged the alien machines while the civilians ran away. The current Neuroi they attack fired off more beams, which deflected as they impacted their barriers. Some beams ended up hitting the ground below, spreading debris into the escaping prisoners._

 _The Lieutenant glared at the devastation caused by the Neuroi. Unable to bear witnessing such massacre, she charged in a rage against the hostile craft. With one burst from her wingmates, she broke through its shell and destroyed the core shortly after that. Barkhorn took rapid breaths as the alien weapon collapsed into large white shards. It may not be the last Neuroi in the area, but it was the closest that threated the escaping prisoners._

 _Facing the prisoners, she thought she got a glimpse of someone particular, someone precious to her. She sighted her once during the mission when she escaped out of the train cars after the Karsland forces made their ambush. Now the girl was struggling with all the prisoners who pushed her around to escape. She was in the middle of the crowd, standing idle as if she waited for someone there._

 _Before Barkhorn could act, sounds of machinegun fire vibrated the sky once more. She expected to face another the Neuroi but instead came a wave of Germanian planes. They opened fire from above right in the direction of the escapees as well._

 _Of the planes in the unit, Bassler was mostly oriented towards the Witch as she put up her barrier. The others missed their target, but flew into the escaping prisoners, massacring them with bullets. Bassler made a turn around Gertrude as she opened fire on especially Minna, who was distracted projecting her shield. Erica intercepted him as he attempted to evade the gunfire, only save when another Me 109 flew into the path and got shot down on his place._

 _Barkhorn witnessed the rain of bullets flying into the prisoners as well as rapid bombarding the area from the dive bombers. The massacre committed fueled her rage as she went after Bassler. The two crossed paths as the two missed each other's shots. Bassler was just lucky enough for her to run out of bullets. However, both managed to get a quick look at each other's faces before resuming to the battle._

 _Gertrude attempted to reload before going into another run. However, another bombardment pounded the ground below with a new Neuroi coming into her view. While Minna and Erica went to engage, Gertrude was forced to project her shield against its beam weapons._

 _Then suddenly from the side, Bassler struck the Witch. She had no wounds anywhere, but the attack badly damaged her right Striker Unit, sending her to the ground. Bassler flew closer to finish her off, but another wave of beams got into his sight. The same attack continued to bombard the ground as Gertrude's last vision was her younger sister. A flash then completely blinded her view._

 _What happened next was for fate to decide._

* * *

"Captain," Rickert woke Bassler, who slept in the passenger seat of their car. They drove for a few hours straight since morning, and Bassler was never the morning person, so it was inevitable that he would sleep wherever and whenever he could. "We have arrived."

Right now, they were in a special section of Nue Berlin that was the Imperial Technology Arsenal. Trees disguised the facility like the towering walls, so no one knew what was inside. It expanded by a least a few square kilometers with hundreds of warehouses, manufacturing plants, and testing grounds.

"A lot of weapons sure are being produced here," Bassler stated the obvious as the two walked down the road towards another warehouse. Along the way, he got some sight of the latest weapons. In one warehouse, he found them transporting the hull of a U-boat. Another had what looked like experimental rockets. He swore in his very eyes that he once caught a glimpse of the biggest tank he had ever seen, which won't be too out of place on a battleship. And all of this was in the hands of the Germanian Empire.

"I already understand why this place would be so confidential."

"The Major has already negotiated with the Director," Rickert entered the warehouse labeled "Design Division 8" along with the pilot.

"So the Special Unit is on good terms with the staff," Bassler assumed. "I don't find it surprising for someone who conducts espionage and goes through weird occult stuff."

"That's right. And now, you're one of us."

Bassler could not argue against it. Besides fighting against the White Witch, he recalled the dream he was having when he was in the old Berlin capital that was destroyed by the Neuroi and subsequently taken over by Germania. He could not get a glimpse that he shot down a Witch, but reporting it, let alone making it out alive, seemed to ease his way for a promotion to Captain.

In a sense, he was already involved in this Witch occult stuff the Special Unit was going through, but there was another matter he wondered. It was something to do with the young boy before him, Rickert Bisterfelt, which was supposed to be a renowned name.

"Second Lieutenant, you're from a noble family, aren't you? What are you doing working behind the scenes of the Special Unit?"

"To prove that I'm my own man," the young scion answered. "It's true that when my dad dies, I'll inherit his title. But I want to show that I don't need a title to succeed, just like Major Berkman."

"It's nice to be young, huh?"

"Are you making fun of me?" Rickert felt offended.

"No," Bassler waved it aside. "It's just something to be admired."

Ignoring his comment, Rickert turned to the nearby door. Major Berkman awaited the two as they entered with unknown equipment behind him.

"Welcome to the Imperial Technology Arsenal. I do not doubt this is the first time you've ever been to this facility."

"I only heard rumors of this place," Bassler search around the crates. "Underground factories where slave labor is used, covert facilities where captured Witches are examined and experimented upon, and even Neuroi core samples are stored in here."

"Don't you enjoy the atmosphere here?"

"No, it's that the place was far bigger than I expected."

"A large portion of the nation's military budget goes into experimenting with new technologies and acquiring those from foreign countries," Rickert went on. "It is without a doubt that His Majesty's devotion to such developments is the reason our nation surpasses the rest of the world in many ways."

"And we are allowed to use it however we wish," Berkman confirmed with sincerity.

"And so, what did you want to show me?"

"Why don't you have a look for yourself?" Arnold pointed with her pipe to the other side.

Before them, there was an immense rocket shaped aircraft that was in the final stages. It was so huge that it nearly stretched across the entire warehouse. Up above, a crane was installing the last component. The metal container was leaking red light from the sides as it started to release its contents. As it entered in, there was the presence of a red crystal dodecahedron installing itself into the machine.

"This is," Bassler discovered what looked like the same cores belonging to the familiar red and black alien craft.

"You weren't wrong saying this facility was rumored to experiment with Neuroi cores," Berkman confirmed to the unnerved pilot. "Details are classified, but they're specially contained to avoid corruption of neighboring systems. In short, these cores are tamed and completely under our control."

"Why are you going out to show me this?"

"Just goes to show how much we can rely on you," Berkman smoked from his pipe again. "From my extra research, your dogfight in the Alps was not the only time you fought against a Witch. There was your battle in the old Berlin capital before the war started. You even went off against the legendary Witches who have now become Karsland's top aces."

"And I thought this was supposed to be just about the White Witch."

"Taking out the White Witch is not the only goal of this operation," Berkman walked back into the other room, and he raised his pipe to everything else. "Besides, if you're not convinced, we have several prototypes ready to field testing."

The Luftwaffe captain turned around, almost as if to argue. But he stopped over taking a closer look. On his right within the room were a row of fighter planes he had never seen. Despite that, his knowledge in aircraft told them that some of these were very good.

"You can't be serious!"

"We even have rocket and jet-propelled planes in the making," the Major offered. "As long as they're ready, you're free to pick whichever machine you choose."

"Four propellers and inverted gull wings!" the Captain was already jumping for joy while checking one of the planes "Does this thing even fly?"

While Major have to chuckle at the moment, Rickert sighed with exasperation.

 _Sheesh, and I thought I was the child here._

* * *

Back at the base, the Witches were all gathered in the kitchen. Sanya was the only one of the Witches not around since she returned from her patrol, although Minna received her report the other night.

Each of the Witches prepared their meals, but Yoshika and Lynette did most of the cooking. They served meals that were native to Fuso, so it made sense that most of them were not used to it. That included the White Witch who ate at the end of the table.

"Um, what is this?" Izetta played around with her food.

"You don't like the meal that I made?" Yoshika asked as she approached her chair.

"Sorry, but I can't eat this either," Alice wasn't much of a fan either. "It looks slimy and gross."

"Why the hell do you even eat this kind of thing?" Perrine tended to agree.

"Natto is a common dish in Fuso," Mio insisted, which made Perrine nervous. "You should try it before you judge anything."

"Well, I…"

Lynette then came next to Yoshika. On her tray was a dessert pie with a red filling.

"Here you go, Izetta-san. I hope I got this right."

"Straight to dessert, huh?" Alice was curious about what Izetta's new "sister" made.

"It was a request by the Archduchess," Bianca said from Izetta's right side. "Granted, it's been a while since we were able to serve this."

"I did not know that cherry pie was popular in your country," Lynette inquired.

"That would be _Kirschbaum_ ," Erica pointed out. "And it is not an Eylstadt dish, but a Karsland one."

"The dessert is popular back in Landsbruck," Bianca said with a hint of frustration. "I swear, Her Excellency always runs off to the local bakery when she tries to abandon her duties."

"She's a tomboy princess," Erica lamented. "What's to be expected?"

There was some laughter among the Witches as Lucchini stretched her arms out.

"Anyway, we have all sort of cuisines from around the world. You're free to ask any of us whatever you want!"

"You'll have to ask Sanya for any cooking from me," Eila trolled in the group.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!?" Alice reacted.

Lynette chuckled as she got closer to Izetta.

"Just tell us whatever you want, and Yoshika-chan and I will do our best."

"T-Thank you, S-Sister."

That made some of the girls jump.

"Did she just say, Sister!?" Perrine inquired.

"There's no need to guess that those two are related," Eila eyed on the girls' most important feminine parts. "Not only did Lynn inherit her powers, but she also inherited her body type."

"Eh!?" Both Witches went red and covered themselves when they realized what she was mentioning.

"They're still a little lackluster," Shirley played with her own rack. "They'll have to eat more they want to get this big."

"What's with all this talk about breasts!?" Perrine exploded in embarrassment. "She's not that type of girl to say such things!"

"Are you just jealous because you haven't seen her for a long time?" Francesca continued to troll her.

"It has nothing to do with that!"

As the Witches got into a quarrel, Lynette noticed something going with Izetta.

"Is something wrong? I know that this is my first time, but don't worry. I'll get some better with some practice."

"It not that," Izetta shook her head. "It's just whenever I'm not doing any work during any part of the day, I get…guilty? Anxious?"

"Do not fret, for you are our guest here," Mio insisted. "You are free to make yourself at home."

"Well, I…"

Just then, another guest came into the room. She dressed in the usual red fur coat, whose breast size made Yoshika and Lynette blush just as much Izetta.

"You can't be Queen if you remain so indecisive like that," Elvira joked as she came into the room. "After all, you're a world celebrity now."

"Elvira," Shirley greeted the woman. "Never thought I'd see you here again. Work in Liberion's not good enough for you?"

"I'm here to serve as Izetta's media specialist. The public opinion requires her to maintain face if she wants to gain support for Eylstadt's protection."

"I'm afraid that is true," Mio had to agree with her. "Witches all over the world acknowledge you."

"Acknowledge?" Francesca questioned the world while playing with her spoon. "More like worship."

"You got Trude to blame for this," Erica turned to her superior and idol, who said nothing throughout the conversation "Ehh, Trude?"

Now that she mentioned it, they noticed that her plate was still full. Even though she made the food herself, she barely ate a single thing from it. Yoshika wondered if she didn't like the food she created.

"Barkhorn-san? Are you okay?"

"I am fine."

"But you haven't touched your food. If you don't eat well, you won't be able to-"

"Do not pry over such personal matters!"

The Lieutenant stood from her seat and walked out of the room in a hurry. The other girls could only watch as she left them to their own devices, while Yoshika gazed at her. It was like Gertrud did even want to see her.

"Barkhorn-san…"

"Coming to think of it, shouldn't she be the one enjoying this the most?" Francesca questioned. "I mean, she's the one who even proposed the idea of the other Witch clans coming to support her."

"I heard from Minna that the event caused an upheaval in the military," Mio added in, who was brought up to speed thanks to Minna. "Commander Wilcke and Commodore Galland spent days talking with the military forces to stabilize the situation."

"You don't think," Yoshika theorized in worry. "She hates me for some reason?"

"You just imagine things," Lynette shook her head. "Barkhorn is usually hard on everyone."

"Hello?" Erica nudged by the side.

"Uh, Commander Wilcke and Officer Hartmann are the exceptions. They've been fighting together ever since the fighting started. They even participated in Karsland's operations to enter right into Germanian territory to rescue civilians."

"Wow…" Yoshika's response was not expected.

"It is that really wonderful?"

"Of course, it is! How can we protect everyone if we can't protect even a single person in need?"

"Even if she's in the middle of enemy territory?" Francesca questioned.

"Or out in the middle of the ocean?" Shirley also added.

"That's right," Yoshika nodded without giving a second thought.

"But she's always so strict and hardworking," Erica mentioned. "She always dedicates her life to the unit. That is until Miss Weisse Hexe came along."

"Indeed, her vacation days have been piling up," Mio came to agree with her. "She's also giving away every paycheck. Whatever the reason is, only Commander Wilcke and Officer Hartmann seem to know."

"Barkhorn-san…"

The whole conversation left Yoshika even more curious about the Karsland Lieutenant. Perhaps the Commander, her superior, might know something about this.

* * *

"Izetta appears to be doing well as it is. Her popularity has spiked in the past few days."

The Commander of the 501st was at her desk in her office. Across from her was the Archduchess as they discussed recent events and their progress regarding support from Eylstadt. Both leading officials had teacups that they sipped from as they conversed.

"She's also getting along well with the 501st," Fine replied. "She's become quite interactive with Officer Bishop recently."

"Never thought that Perrine would be close to her either," Minna thought about the Galian girl who met the Witch for some time before her debut. "The rest of the world aside, she's become quite the idol among the 501st."

"So it seems," Fine looked away for the moment, facing the posted newspapers as she took another sip. "Though I have to pity her. Izetta is not the one for popularity."

"Nonetheless, her demonstrations have put up an effective front on the world stage. I even received word from Commodore Galland that a few other units want to see her in action as well."

"So the other clans are acknowledging her role as Weisse Hexe?"

"It's too early to tell. But the Commodore has been talking to the Allied leaders recently. Although it will take some time, she says there might be a way to procure reinforcements and supplies to Eylstadt."

Now that raised an eyebrow from the Archduchess. This was the first time she heard something about this, even though the possibility was already talked repeatedly since their journey from Eylstadt.

"It will take some time, but they are conjuring up a battle plan that requires an invasion into Romagna and Venezia."

"Romagna," Fine recalled the name. "From what I understand, that country is undergoing unrest between the pro-Germanian fascist movement and the co-belligerent loyalists who are part of the Allies. Reasonably, one of your own is a member of the latter."

Minna nodded in confirmation.

"With the situation deteriorating and the threat of a combined Neuroi-Germanian attack, Britannia is considering a plan to back up that region. If this is successful, they'll be able to open a supply route to Eylstadt and the Witch units can have access to your country."

"I take that as good news," Fine assumed, or at least was the sugarcoated version of it.

"Yes, but that's if we keep up the White Witch's appearance as an invincible enemy."

Fine nodded, understand what she meant.

"We played a part in helping her, but it helped us in the long run. Still, before encountering Izetta, I never thought a day like this would come. It may not be a long reprieve, but it's something of which to be grateful."

"A Germanian or Neuroi counterattack is not the only worry either," Minna pressed the issue. "The real concern is what's come up within the unit."

That was also a problem. More people were becoming aware of Izetta's weakness, that she couldn't use her power in a certain area due to the Weisse Hexe's special way of obtaining magic. The enemy does not know, but who knows how long that will last?

"To think about Izetta's weakness, and now the rest of the unit is starting to learn it, too."

As if it were speaking of the devil, there was a knock on the door. Moments later, two familiar faces came into the room.

"Um, Minna-san," Yoshika entered first.

"Miyafuji? Lynn?" Both witches approached their Commander. "Is there something you need?"

"S-Sorry to interrupt," Lynette apologized. "Yoshika-chan said she wanted to speak with you."

"If it's about the ceremony we're giving to the White Witch, I have to apologize. They are our guests here, after all."

"It's not about Izetta-san, it's about Barkhorn-san," the Fuso Witch confessed. She was unsure of what the Commander would say in the matter, but she was the only one she thought could help.

"Is something about her that's bothering you?"

Yoshika nodded to Minna with concern.

"I always get the feeling that she's watching me when we're apart. And when we're together, and I try to talk to her, she always keeps avoiding me."

Minna sighed as if she knew the issue would come, sooner rather than later.

"I won't be too surprised," Fine assured Yoshika. "Izetta came here before and said she has been feeling the same way."

"Izetta-san?"

"Major Sakamoto and I have sensed her performance slipping lately," Minna replied. "She has been like that ever since she returned from mainland Europe. I would have given her a more appropriate punishment if I were to soothe opinion of the military officers, but…"

"The loss of an ace pilot would be damaging to your military strength," Fine assumed. "Her act at Coenenberg was quite sudden. I doubt there was some other time she acted like this."

"This is the first time," Minna confirmed. "Lieutenant Barkhorn is usually a perfectionist. She would never let such matters bother her. Unless…"

"Unless what?"

Minna took a deep breath. She was about to speak something sensitive to both herself and her comrades but believed was something worth sharing.

"Do you remember the time of Kristallnacht?"

"The burning of the old capital of Karsland," Fine recalled. "That city was the center of the country's opposition forces who were against the new regime. You and the Karsland forces fought against the Neuroi who attacked, and helped the citizens escape when the SS forces began rounding them up."

"Lieutenant Barkhorn's sister was among those captured."

"No way," Yoshika was surprised by that fact. "I never knew Barkhorn-san had a sister!"

"In a way, she looks like you," Lynette said from the side.

"Lynn-san?"

"I only saw her once, but Barkhorn's sister is very young and has short hair. Perhaps she keeps seeing you because you're a reminder of her."

"Eh?"

Yoshika found herself blushing as Minna continued.

"Despite our efforts, the Neuroi destroyed the city, and the Germanians killed many of the escaping citizens. Chris was disabled in that incident and fell to a comatose. Even though she has recovered, Trude has never left the 501st to see her."

"Horrible…" The Fuso Witch felt sorry upon hearing that.

"I can understand her feelings. But her time away from Chris is a bit concerning."

"Do you think her sister is why she was so erratic the other day when Izetta showed herself?" Fine asked.

"I cannot guess," Minna said truthfully. "Like the other Karsland Witches, we are big fans of the Weisse Hexe legend. But Barkhorn has a much closer relationship than even the Bishop family."

"Is that so…"

"Perhaps, that is what's keeping her from being herself."

"Barkhorn-san…"

Those words have left Yoshika pondering. Even Fine had questioned why the Lieutenant would go this far.

* * *

That night, the Karsland Lieutenant remained up all night, standing in the hallway against a set of glass windows. She could not sleep, especially after that nightmare over that fateful day.

Little did people know the long history of the Barkhorn family, or rather the clan whose bloodline they inherited. That clan carried a burden so big that it became a curse among those who wielded it.

 _It's been centuries since that day when the Duchy of Eylstadt was in great peril. That was the day when Weisse Hexe made her appearance and emerged as the hero of our time. We witches, who were subordinate to her, rallied behind her during her call. Under her power, we saved her home country and protected her and the prince who became her lover._

That was the legend not many knew. It was only until recently did the other Witches discover and understand that many other Witches joined the Weisse Hexe in their crusade to save the country. And they made an oath to protect her and her clan no matter what the cost might be.

 _We, the Barkhorn family, was supposed to be her protectors that time, to stand by her to the very end like all the others. And yet, we…we…_

The Barkhorn clan broke that oath. When not only the country but the Weisse Hexe herself was in peril, her clan abandoned their duty. Even when the stories state they were in no condition to support her, her clan got discounted as too weak. Since then, her clan had focused on strength, so that when the Weisse Hexe clan emerged again, they would stay by her side until the very end.

"Are you thinking about Chris again?" Minna asked as she entered the room. "Or are you think about…that?"

Gertrude said nothing. What good were the Commander's words, even if she was her superior? There was nothing she could do for her.

"We discussed this before," Minna insisted on continuing. "We are both fans of the legend, and we know your sister idolizes her just as you do. We know how important it is for us to honor Izetta's clan, and I know that your clan carries a burden unlike any other. But you cannot let your emotions get in the way."

"I have to," the Lieutenant replied. "It's the only way we could atone for that crime. And Chris has…"

"It wasn't your fault, Trude," Minna wanted to comfort her to no avail.

"No, it's because I was too careless that Chris got involved!"

"You saved her from the Neuroi and liberated her from the SS. If it wasn't for that, she could have died for sure."

"It's a fact we could not protect the city at all," the Lieutenant retorted. "Kristallnacht, the day when the Neuroi and Germania attacked our people and rained shards of glass on them. If we were able to stop them...If we were able to kill the Kaiser sooner..."

"You're not the one responsible; there was nothing we could do to stop it," Minna paused for the moment. "Look, your vacation days have been piling up, and Chris has recovered ever since that day. Why don't you take the time to visit her?"

"There's no need," Gertrude turned around. "Since that day, I've been prepared to fight for the preservation of Witches. Even my call for the Weisse Hexe was for that goal. The Chris I knew died that day."

"You're only chaining yourself to the past either way. It doesn't matter if your family is indebted to the Weisse Hexe, or if your sister is gone. You got to stop blaming yourself for everything that's happened."

"I am prepared to face my fate," Barkhorn walk away from her. "If I should die, then so shall it be. Prepare me for my next mission."

With that, the Lieutenant left the room. Although she was her superior, she was convinced there was nothing to do. At the very least, she could not persuade her alone. If she really wanted to contribute to the 501st as well as the Weisse Hexe, throwing her life away was not an option. She had to live for Chris's sake, for the 501st's sake, for Izetta's sake, and above all, for her own sake.

* * *

 _As a side note, Kristallnacht was a real event that happened during the rise of Nazi Germany. Historically, it was a time when Jewish stores and businesses were trashed by rioters, killing nearly a hundred in this act of anti-Semitism. In this fic, I decided to take the name and use it to fit with Germania's persecution of Witches and Strike Witches' history. For that, I decided to make it the incident where the Neuroi destroyed Berlin, and then added something that contributed to Germania's crimes paralleling Nazi Germany._

 _In any case, the next work will appear briefly next chapter. Only then will I fully reveal information about the next work._

 _Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter._


	15. Episode 6-2

_Now it's time to get to the second part of the episode. This chapter will introduce the next work involved in this series, although it's going to be brief._

 _At the same time, I'm going to be adding more tracks into the list for I have none in the past few episodes._

 _Tracks used:_

 _1._ _ **Chikyuu no aratana yume/Earth's New Dream – SUPER ROBOT WARS T**_

 _2._ _ **Dai Kessen- STRIKE WITCHES OST**_

 _3._ _ **Karsland no Higeki- STRIKE WITCHES OST**_

 _4._ _ **Guardian ~SIRBINE~ - New Story of Aura Battler Dunbine**_

* * *

 **(1)**

The next day, the 501st proceeded to conduct training with the recruits. Mio already launched with Gertrude, Yoshika, and Lynette in their Striker Units. Izetta and Alice were also part of the training group despite their civilian status.

"Today, we will be working on flight formations," Mio led the girls as they circled her. "There are six of us, so we shall separate into three elements."

Alice had expressed her excitement for training in the sky compared to the shy White Witch.

"Feels nice to be tagging along with the professionals, right Izetta?"

"Miss Elvira said she wanted to get more photos of me flying with the other girls. She wants the world to know that we'll be fighting alongside the other Witches."

"Still thinking about your Archduchess again?" Alice smugly inquired.

"Eh!?"

"I hear that you share a room with her on the base, and Tipler said you were screaming. When he entered the room, he saw that you did so because she cuddled close to you on the same bed. Did she try to hurt you last night?"

Izetta's panic caused her to lose balance immediately. All of the girls turned to the White Witch who suddenly flew out of control. They weren't too concerned about the magic in the area, especially since she was flying perfectly in that spot for minutes. There were also incredibly red cheeks on her once she regained her flight and flew towards the Psionic girl.

"I-I-I-I-It was nothing of the sort! S-She did hurt me or anything like that!"

"Izetta-san?" Yoshika became oblivious as to what happened.

"Sister, could you be in _that_ kind of relationship?" Lynette's face was not as red, but she could see the tension within her.

"W-W-W-Why are you saying things like that of a sudden!?

"Just curious," Alice smirked away, leaving a hint of anger within the White Witch.

"Prying on needless affairs is distracting," Gertrude remained stern throughout the incident. "Major, I believe it's time we get to training."

"Mm," the Major confirmed. "I will be paired up with Lynn, Barkhorn will be with Miyafuji, Izetta will be with the Psionic girl."

"Yes, ma'am!" Lynette affirmed.

However, Miyafuji had yet to say anything. Mio intended to have her pair up with Barkhorn and understand what was wrong with her. So far, the young Fuso Witch had her eyes on the more experienced Lieutenant, but she remained fixed forward, not turning a degree to her.

"Miyafuji, do you have anything to say?"

"No, ma'am!"

Mio gave her signature laugh before continuing.

"Each element will be divided between a leader and a subordinate. The leader will always have her eye on the enemy and should give exact orders to her subordinate. Those who are subordinate should follow everything the leader commands. Don't look at anything else."

"M-Miss Sakamoto," Izetta inquired the Major who did not look at her.

"By the way, you can call me Major. We're soldiers here after all. In the meantime, you and Alice will participate after a warmup. We'll be getting to evasive maneuvers, so you and Barkhorn's element will pursue us."

"Y-Yes, M-Major Sakamoto."

The Major gave her signature laugh but stopped when she heard nothing from the stoic Lieutenant.

"What's wrong, Barkhorn? Can you not hear me?"

"I'm fine. Go right ahead."

"Very well, Lynne, follow me!"

Lynette followed the Major as the two took off. It took a while before Gertrude and Yoshika went ahead as well.

"Follow me, newcomer," the Lieutenant ordered coldly to her assigned subordinate. Alice quickly read that she was not happy with her partner.

"Say what she wants, but there's something up with that Lieutenant girl."

"Maybe she's mad at me," Izetta wondered the same thing, noticing the Lieutenant ignoring the White Witch as well.

"You? I was talking about her relationship with Yoshika."

It's not that she did not care for Barkhorn's behavior towards Yoshika, but her reaction to the White Witch was similar. She also paid a visit to the 501st commander who gave almost the same consultation.

 _Miss Barkhorn is not the same as she was when we first met._ Izetta had minimal knowledge of her clan's history. Though she did not have all the details, she only had essential information and locations where she could find all the answers. _Grandmother even said that our ancestor was a traitor. But Barkhorn's ancestral clan were traitors, too. Is this the burden Miss Wilcke was talking about? If so, then…_

Izetta's train of thought broke over the sound of a horn. Both girls turned to the base as flares went off above it.

"That's," Izetta became more familiar with the warning signal.

"An air raid siren," Alice smirked. "And you know what that means!"

The two nodded to each other, prompting them to cruise towards the Witches who were in the middle of practice. Mio reached all the girls in the intercom as she called out to them.

"Enemy forces coming from the eastern gird! Altitude around 10,000 meters!"

 **(2)**

Alice and Izetta joined up with the 501st units from behind. The White Witch stayed for a while so she could obtain her lances and swords form the top of the base. She continued checking her mana supply to ensure she could still fight in its airspace. Only Minna got a glimpse of what was going on. While Perrine saw the response Izetta obtained, she did not bother to question it. Not that it mattered to anyone else since, besides the Galian Witch, they knew Izetta's weakness. Not wanting to bother with the White Witch, Minna flew over to Mio's side as Wing Commander.

"The enemy's movements have become quite erratic lately," the Major conversed with her superior.

"Karsland has been tracking movements throughout Germania for the past few weeks, but even they are unsure what's going on."

"Karsland…"

"What's wrong, Barkhorn?" Mio caught the Lieutenant muttering.

"I-It's nothing."

Mio sighed in distress. It appeared that getting the girls to close together was not going anywhere. Perhaps giving a little more distance will be better for them.

"We will change the formation this time. Barkhorn and Perrine will pair up. Miyafuji, you're with me."

 _Again!? That damn raccoon-dog!_ Perrine exclaimed as she turned her head away. Her irritation let go when Mio issued back through the intercom.

"Heads up! Four Me 109 squadrons within 1000 meters! Germanian fighters incoming!"

"G-Germanians!" Now Perrine exclaimed for a very different reason. She and the other Witches knew the Empire was building up a massive air fleet in their homeland and on the shores of Galia. They didn't expect the force to show up now.

Barkhorn and Minna tightened their weapons, both hardening themselves for the fight ahead of them. Alice was brim with confidence. Izetta narrowed her eyes as the lances and swords surrounded her.

"Impossible," Lynette was also stunned. She turned Miyafuji, who was shaking and unsure of what was going to happen. She had the same feelings; this the first going up against someone human.

"This fight will be a little tough this time," Mio said to herself as she contacted the recruits for the apparent matter. "Listen, Miyafuji. We're going up against enemy fighter planes from the Germanian Empire. I don't want you to freeze up out there."

"Are...Are we really going to fight them?" Yoshika stuttered for the moment.

"Is something wrong?" Mio replied. "Are you still not used to battle yet?"

"No, but," the young witch hesitated. "Aren't these planes flown by people?"

"I agree, Major, lets-" Perrine wanted to object for once.

"Who cares what enemy we're facing," Alice boasted in the intercom. "It's about time they showed up again! I was getting tired fighting Neuroi already!"

Even though she unnerved Yoshika and Bishop, the girl's words motivated the Galian Witch for once. After what the Germanians did in her homeland, and what she witnessed with the White Witch, she couldn't let that slide either.

"Those damn Germanians!" Perrine expressed her frustration openly as she turned to Yoshika. "Fine then, I'll just vent my anger upon these filthy Boches rather than you!"

"Perrine-san?" Yoshika noticed the anger in her eyes.

"Listen up, raccoon dog! You may have escaped me for now, but someday I'm going to deal with you just like these wrecked planes right here!"

"R-Raccoon dog!?"

"That's enough, you two," the Major quelled the argument between the two. "Miyafuji, Bishop, I know you never fought against enemy planes piloted by humans. But all I ask of you is, don't die."

"R-Roger!"

"Izetta, can you still fight?"

Mio directed the words to the White Witch, who finished check the mana in the region.

"The magic still varies within the channel. I'll have to be careful about flying in this area."

"Just warn us if you fly into a place where you're out of magic," Minna recommended. "We'll carry you someplace to replenish."

"You're the world's hero, and Elvira is waiting to obtain more photos of your battle," Mio additionally consulted. "Do not let your weakness falter your abilities."

Izetta continued to notice the Lieutenant not saying anything. She still wondered if Barkhorn was still mad or hid true feelings about her family's shame. She still needed to thank her for offering this opportunity to be of use to everyone.

 _Princess,_ Izetta thought about the words she had with Fine last night as she grasped the mana within her hands. _For your sake, I'm going to protect the world for you._

Mio closed her eyepatch now that they had visual on the enemy. Each of the Germanian fighter squadrons spread out to surround them and take on the girls by elements

"Split up to attack each squadron!" Mio ordered as they split up for each set of planes. "All units attack!"

* * *

Off the shores of a nearby island, a wide-spanning aircraft rested on the English channel. It was a flying wing with a wingspan well surpassing 40 meters. To support its weight in flight, it had six turboengines and near the tail and two more on the sides. The aircraft had four single MG131 machine gun turrets on the front of the wings, two on top, two on the bottom, and two on the rear near the tail. There were also two turrets by the nose, one on top of the fuselage, and one on the bottom, each with a single MG151/20 cannon. There were four pylons on the wings with tanks that both carried extra fuel and acted as floats when empty. The bottom of the fuselage had two loading bays for bombs and ordinance.

Although classified as a bomber, the term floating fortress or flying warship was not inaccurate, if not an even more accurate description of the command vehicle. That was the thought of Major Berkmann and Second Lieutenant Rickert, the former of whom commanded this vehicle that was the Amerika.

Both of them observed the battle from afar, on top of an island of rocks the aircraft hid behind. It took a while to get into position, but they brought a lifeboat on the plane for this occasion. Berkmann brought a radio with them as they observed through their binoculars.

They traced the Me 109 squadrons that advanced on the Witch units, each in a box formation with its Schwarms in a four-finger formation. With approval from the Kaiser, Berkmann enlisted the support of the nearest Jagdgeschwader unit stationed in Germania. With fifth squadron incoming, they had more than enough forces to complete their mission.

"Hope you've gotten used to flying that machine," Berkmann shared his sympathies with their top ace, who lead one of the squadrons towards the White Witch and Alice. Their main focus was the unit lead by the Heinkel 112 Vergeltungswaffe model that they lent to Bassler from the Technology Arsenal. It distinguished itself from even the other squadron leaders with its gold and yellow markings. Although the Captain was below one rank for the position, he was assigned the leader of his squadron that targeted the White Witch. Even then, the pilot seemed to enjoy the plane far more than his current, if not a temporary position.

 _"This plane is a wild horse,"_ Bassler commented. _"It seems only I can master it."_

"Unfortunately, there was no time to practice. You'll have to try it out in actual combat."

"Just try not to wreck the plane while you're at it," Rickert said to himself, concerned about the Captain's childish antics.

 _"What, you expected to fly with me?"_ Bassler retorted, overhearing the boy.

Berkmann had to chuckle for the moment as he reminded his pilot.

"Our main objective is to confront the White Witch. Other than that, you're free to engage the enemy force however you'd like."

"Jawohl," Bassler confirmed before the transmission ended.

The Germanian air fleet crossed paths with 501st, Izetta and Alice included, with an exchange of gunfire. Shells, tracers, and magic shields riddled the sky as the battle raged above.

Although there were casualties on their side, Berkman observed the results. To a degree, he found some fortunate some of the Witches were younger and hesitated to shoot. The others were not so hesitant, although they showed signs of struggle.

"Are you sure this will be enough to take on the 501st?" Rickert questioned the Major as he observed.

"The 501st Witches are not that much of a concern," Berkmann answered. "Two of their unit's movements are sloppy, so we're dealing with green soldiers."

"They don't look like the kinds of girls who want to fight people either," the Second Lieutenant noticed as he observed Yoshika and Lynette avoiding the cockpits of the planes. "However, isn't it too soon to deem them not a threat?"

"No, because there are several ways how we were able to combat a common Witch."

 **(3)**

Berkmann continued observing the Witches in the 501st as they battled the Germanian planes. He caught a glimpse of the Galian Witch who went in a scissors formation to avoid the shot, only to have a few of them hit her Striker Unit and cause them to lose balance.

"Although they are as small and mobile as the White Witch, they rely on machines for flight. Damaging their Striker Units even by a little bit will cause them to lose control and fall."

He turned his eyes on Yoshika next, who projected a large shield to protect herself and Lynette from gunfire. The He 112 V, which continued chasing after Izetta, took the time to attack the green pair. Lynette was forced to project her shield to stop the bullets from killing Yoshika. The cannon from the He 112's nose blew the Britannian Witch as it flew by them.

"Moreover, their shields are only effective in a given direction. As long as they spend too much time focusing on that direction, then unless they have someone for support, they will still be vulnerable to typical flanking tactics."

Then, he went to Mio, who just drew her katana to cut through a plane's fuselage. Even though it was not as thick as a Neuroi's, it still put a lot of strain that left her breathing deep.

"Alas, Witches' power sources are not infinite. Like normal planes, Striker Units require power to run. They drain far more energy than the Witches can produce, which is why they don't have unlimited range," Berkmann turned to the Second Lieutenant for the moment. "Set the White Witch and the other girl aside, these three factors prove as that as powerful as they are, they're no different from ordinary military hardware. That's why we managed to defeat many Witches even without the advanced capabilities of the Neuroi."

"That's true," Rickert lowered his binoculars. Of course, due to how powerful the two abnormal targets were and how experienced the 501st Witches were, they could not just rely on their current forces any longer. That's precisely why they carried out this operation.

"This is Major Berkmann of the Special Unit to Luftflotte 2 Command," Berkmann called through the radio. "Is the special package ready for delivery?"

 _"This is Luftflotte 2 Command to the Special Unit,"_ A response came. _"Triebflugel is on approach. Standby for engagement, Major."_

"Jawohl."

As the Major ended the communication, Berkmann and Rickert resumed their reconnaissance. After going through the battles with the Witches, they remained fixed on the White Witch as she battled the Germanian planes.

"It seems like we'll have to rely on those Neuroi now," Rickert lamented. Berkmann could not agree more.

* * *

The 501st and their allies continued battling the Germanian planes sent at them. Each one had their fair share of battle.

While Alice confronted her set of fighters, Izetta faced a real battle happening where even at full power, the enemy was smarter and harder to destroy. Her real opponent was the yellow and gold-colored plane trailing behind her.

"That machine is keeping up with me!?" The White Witch exclaimed. Even though she only fought battle recently, never before did this happen, even among the Neuroi she encountered. She was forced to use her swords and lances for protection, and when she sent them after it, it evaded single one of their attempts to take it down.

"You may be good, but now it's time to pay you back for what happened in the Alps!" Bassler opened fire once more, forcing Izetta used her swords for protection. The amount of gunfire from its machineguns and nose-mounted cannon was substantial, and she lost many swords to deflect them. She sent them after the plane once again, only for it to evade and the projectiles barely grazing his wingman.

Lynette was having more difficulty. She followed Minna to the outer reaches of the battlefield, but her shooting was as sloppy as before. This poor performance was not due to pressure; that went away the moment Yoshika became her friend. The real problem was that the enemy was human, and she shared Yoshika's sentiments as her officer indeed witnessed. She was not the kind of person willing to kill people, even if they were terrible, invading her homeland, and overall her enemy. But that did not mean she had no choice to kill them; she just needed to down their planes.

 _Don't worry, Lynette. You don't have to kill them,_ she thought to herself. _Just avoid the cockpit, you'll be fine._

Yoshika was having a similar problem aside from being separated by Mio. She did not have to hit targets far away like Lynette, but she was so concerned about not killing anyone whenever she fired and kept deliberately missing her shots. Even shooting them broadside was a challenge for her.

"It's no good! I can't hit any!" Yoshika struggled as she aimed at probably her third target, all of which were misses. She was trying to hit the tail of the machine, which she thought was enough force to pilot to bail out. As the Me 109 flew away, Yoshika got distracted by another plane that headed straight for her friend. "Lynn-san!"

A rifle shot tore through the 109's right wing, causing it to plummet. At its current course, it would plunge into the ocean, which left a chance for the pilot to survive. However, this left Yoshika distracted as a plane heading towards her. She projected a shield to block the upcoming gunfire, but the cockpit got riddled with holes, killing the pilot and sending the fighter in the channel.

"Rookies won't survive for very long if you keep up like that," Perrine descended from above to her side, marking the kill on the enemy plane.

"Perrine-san?" Yoshika found herself bewildered by her rescuer, who was still made right at the moment.

Another Me 109 cruised to the side, firing more shots at the girls. While Yoshika barely evaded with one bullet grazing her unit, Perrine barrel rolled to meet the enemy plane.

 _"Tonnerre!"_ the Galian Witch emitted sparks around her as they struck the plane. The cockpit and fuselage exploded, sending the remains into the water. The young Witch felt dread over her rage and callousness against the enemy planes.

"Just don't get in the way, do you hear me?" Perrine continued to move forward to regroup with Barkhorn.

The Karsland Witch already gunned down several enemy fighters with her guns. When Izetta crossed paths with her, she projected a shield and retaliated with more gunfire. She targeted the yellow-marked Heinkel plane that stood out from the others that stood before it, though it easily dodged a tactic she had previously encountered.

"Those moves, where did I see it before?" Gertrude flew above as the plane passed. She had much more time to view the pilot inside. Although it wasn't much, she was sure the facial hair and style of his uniform looked familiar. "That pilot…No way! Could that be…"

"Barkhorn, is something wrong?" Now even Minna continued to inquire about her feelings.

"N-No, it's nothing. I'm continuing to engage the enemy."

Mio listened into the intercom while turning to Miyafuji. No matter how many times the Lieutenant keeps saying she's okay, her erratic behavior showed otherwise.

"She's become troublesome today," the Major encountered another plane, which she cut down underneath through the fuselage, sending it ablaze. "Though come to think of it, they're sending a much smaller force than reported. What is Germania thinking?"

As she flew to her stranded wingman, Minna announced through the intercom.

"Major, another enemy is incoming."

"Germanian reinforcements?" Alice called within after destroying another fighter with her sparks. "How much do they plan to bring here!?"

"I'm afraid it's bigger than that," Minna declared. "Altitude is above 15,000 meters, way about their service ceiling. The enemy is closing around 2,000 meters from our position. Same direction as the first wave."

Mio took the time to fly up above the clouds. She opened her eyepatch to zoom in. The enemy was just as she expected.

"A Neuroi!"

Just then, the large Neuroi descended from the clouds, getting everyone else's attention.

"Now we got a real fight on our hands, don't we?" Alice charged her flames once more.

"Hold on," Lynette called as she noticed something else from a lower altitude. "Something else is following it below!"

Mio descended along with the sizeable alien craft and used her eye and zoom in. Another squadron of Me 109s flew underneath the Neuroi's shadow as it broke through the clouds below.

"Germanian fighters?" the Witch muttered to herself as it approached.

The Neuroi began firing its weapons, which angled towards the Witches. They all put up their shield to evade, although the 109s planes and even Bassler took the time to flank Perrine by the sides, grazing her by the arm.

"Dealing with a Neuroi at a time like this?" Perrine growled.

"But why isn't it attacking the Germanians?"

Yoshika noticed that first when got a glimpse of the planes and Neuroi side by side. If the Neuroi were humanity's enemy, then they would have destroyed those Germanian planes at any time. Instead, they were together as they headed straight for the Witches.

"Could this mean, the Neuroi and Germania have joined forces?" Alice guessed.

"That's not it," Izetta voice broke in the intercom, which stunned the other Witches.

"Izetta-san?" Yoshika to say that, wondering what she knew.

"Just as how we Witches of Weisse Hexe control objects, there is a way to control complex machines and even living beings. It requires a lot of power, but if one of us wishes, we could control a Neuroi as if it were familiar creatures."

"Impossible," Lynette flew above in fear.

"This is not a surprising feat for us," Minna added beside her, recognizing the machine as the Triebflugel from intelligence reports and knowing more history behind Witches' abilities. "There are rumors and legends that say some other Witches were able to control other machines, and Germania somehow copied that principle artificially. Now they demonstrated it by installing a core into a machine and directing it even after Neuroification."

"Are you saying that Germania turned their machines into Neuroi and made them their personal soldiers!?" Alice exclaimed.

"No way," Yoshika stood flying above in fear. "That's…horrible."

"Those damn Boches!" Perrine's anger broke out in the intercom. "To hell with their Kaiser Otto!"

"Barkhorn, are you alright?" Mio called to her once again. Only this time, she heard a click from her tongue, indicating her response. "We cannot worry about it now. Lynette, Alice, and Izetta will provide cover against the Germanians. Everyone else, focus your fire and take down that Neuroi!"

As on cue, Gertrude and Mio's team went off to engage that enemy Neuroi. The Neuroified Triebflugel fired its beams at the Witches while the Germanian planes came to assist. Alice swooped in to create a trail of fire that destroyed three more Germanian fighters before creating a gust of wind to divert the others away from her. Izetta continued to struggle with the He 112 still following her, even when Minna drew it away with her fire. Bassler responded with gunfire in her direction, forcing her to project her shield, while avoiding Lynette's shots. Another volley struck Lynette by her rifle and sent in a panic as he flew past her and resumed his pursuit for the White Witch.

Mio continued to search the Neuroi for its core. Because this machine was Neuroified, locating the core should be natural. However, the Neuroi seemed to attack her whenever she tried using her eye, prompting her to use her shield. She even noticed the beams working injunction with the Germanian fighters as Perrine was forced to deal with both targets.

 _There's no doubt something is controlling Neuroi,_ Mio surmised. _Its attacks are well thought out and coordinated, unlike any other units we encountered. We need to be cautious and keep our distance._

Meanwhile, Minna noticed Barkhorn's behavior as the Lieutenant left Perrine to deal with the beams and Germanians planes all at once while she focused on the Neuroi.

"This isn't like her at all," Minna said by Lynette, who continued to shoot at the Neuroi's shell.

"What do you mean?"

"It's Barkhorn," the commander clarified as she observed Gertrude operating alone. "She usually keeps her wingman within her field of view. But she's pushing herself too hard today."

The Lieutenant in question rapidly fired at the center of the craft where it looked like the core was installed. She was sure of it the moment he saw crack leading out red energy.

"I just found the core! If I shoot there, then I will-"

"Barkhorn, you're too close!" Mio called out to her.

"Barkhorn-san, watch out!" Yoshika shouted, prompting Gertrude to back away.

The Triebflugel fired a volley of beams after Perrine and Gertrude. Both them responded with shields to deflect the fire. However, the power of the rays was too much for Perrine to handle, knocking her back for a moment. She ended up striking Gertrude from the back, causing her to lose control.

One more beam came and hit Gertrude directly, destroying one of her MG42s and wounding her in the chest. The Karsland Witch plummeted to the ground to a nearby island.

"Lieutenant!"

"Barkhorn-san!"

"Lady Barkhorn!"

Perrine and Yoshika descended to catch falling the Lieutenant. Izetta also noticed cruised down to reach her. She made a sharp turn to break off her pursuit from Bassler, who now faced Alice after she took down another plane. The Psionic girl threw another spark, which barely grazed his plane, forcing him to back away. While the two Witches from the 501st succeeded in grabbing her, Izetta cruised down in hopes of recovering her as well.

However, she now fell for a different reason as she noticed. Her rifle was just depleted of magic, although she recovered for a period, it was apparent that she was flying into a no-magic zone.

"Izetta-san!"

"Izetta!"

Yoshika and Alice noticed her falling. Now they had two Witches they needed saving. Alice swooped down to rescue Izetta, throwing a gust of wind to blow the enemy places away, but she now had to rescue Izetta twice. This time, they now risked exposing the secret of Izetta's abilities. Although they made it, so it wasn't evident by letting some shots go by, she had to save the White Witch before she crashed into the island's woods with a hard impact.

Even then, a couple of pairs of eyes watched from afar, knowing something was wrong.

* * *

Perrine and Yoshika managed to carry the Lieutenant lightly onto the ground. While still in her Striker Unit, the younger Witch got on her knees and assessed the wound on Gertrud's chest. Perrine could only shake in terror over what she had done.

"She's bleeding," Yoshika revealed the wound by her breasts. "If we move her now, it will only get worse. I'll have to heal her here."

"Please," Perrine muttered. "Save the lieutenant."

The Galian Witch stood guard as Yoshika focused her magic. The Germanian planes flew above, completely missing their location. There was already a lot of tension within the Galian Witch.

"Don't panic. Nice and easy. Concentrate," The Fuso Witch's power emitted a vast field that resulted from her healing ability.

"Such incredible power," even Perrine was impressed by latent potential demonstrated by Yoshika. Never before did she witness such power from such a young girl. When tree branches broke within the forest, Perrine jerked over to find two other faces.

"Ah, Perrine, there you are!" Alice called out her with Izetta in tow. The White Witch still carried her large rifle.

"Izetta, why are you here?"

"Perrine, watch out!"

She blocked just in time to stop a wave of Neuroi beams from hitting the group. The Triebflugel above oriented itself upward like a flying tower. It continued to fire volleys of lasers while the Germanians flanked them from the sides. The bombardment remained continuous as Perrine struggled to uphold the barrier.

"Perrine," Alice called to her. We need to get Izetta someplace safe!"

"What's wrong, White Witch?" Perrine asked back. "Why can't you use your power?"

"It's complicated," Alice responded in her place. "Izetta is unable to gather up mana in this region. She's completely helpless here!"

"I can only do so much with a Neuroi here!"

The two girls complained as the Neuroi continued firing. One of its stray beams then hit the side, knocking Izetta into a tree. Even Yoshika lost focus as she noticed the White Witch now in danger.

"Izetta-san!"

Another beam suddenly erupted, which as bright and powerful as a Neuroi's. But besides coming from the woods, this one was green like it came from Izetta's magic. The attack blasted into the Neuroi and knocked it backward, causing it to stop its indiscriminate attacks.

"W-What?" Bassler reacted by flying away from the island with his Schwarm.

Lynette also jumped at the sight of the attack. She never knew someone had this kind of attack. Well, there was Izetta, but even she did not throw something that big.

"Was that a friendly attack?" Minna already noticed that Izetta was out of mana and in an area that had no lay lines. "Alice?"

"Whoever it is, that ain't me," the Psionic girl responded. "And it sure wasn't Izetta's doing!"

"Another friendly in the vicinity?" Mio also found herself shocked. "But how?"

There was a brief moment of tension as the girls on the island spent seconds staring where the sudden beam fired. Leaves still fluttered around as the battlefield went quiet. Yoshika was about to return the task at hand.

"Raccoon-dog look out! It's-"

 **(4)**

Right when Perrine warned Yoshika, something burst out of the trees near their location. Whatever unknown force came out stood to be almost seven meters tall, blocking their view of the sun. It looked human, yet so mechanical, coupled with several non-human features. The feet had three talons each, the hands were like claws, and its head had two upward fins. The machine sprouted two pairs of wings: the lower wings were like an insect's and emitted a faint purple aura, and another pair looked like a beetle's carapace that emitted some light in the back. There were glass-like globes on the shoulders that glow light green like the lines and certain portions of the machine. When the dust settled, and the shadow cleared, the humanoid robot was shown to be in metallic silver aside from its joints. It carried a large shield in its right arm and had a sheath on its right hip, the sword of which was wielded by its left arm.

The ground shook as the machine advanced. Perrine stood guard while Yoshika covered Gertrude to keep her body from moving. Alice remained cautious, but Izetta was intrigued, especially after sensing energy within it that strongly resembled her own. Why that was, she didn't know. But then, someone came what they did not expect.

 _"I saw you girls were in trouble."_

Those words shocked the girls around the machine, save for the unconscious Gertrude, as they did not expect the robotic giant to talk. It was shocking enough for them to hear something alien speaking a language they understood. However, there's another thing that even Izetta did not expect.

"A-A male's voice?"

The others remained stunned as they heard the voice of a boy. They found it even more surprising when they sensed the magical power coming from the machine. Not that it was impossible, but a boy that wielded magical power was rare, and there was someone like that right here. They wondered what machine it was and, judging by the voice, why its pilot was a boy.

The machine stopped in its tracks and faced the enemy Neuroi.

 _"I'm not the type for heroics,"_ the voice of the machine called as it faced the startled Yoshika. _"But I figured it was worth it to help out."_

* * *

 _Here are some notes before finishing._

 _I deliberately called Bassler's machine merely the He 112 V/_ _Vergeltungswaffe_ _because that was the closest that his plane resembled in the anime. It used a propulsion system similar to the V rockets that went over 400 mph like the original He 112, which is how it could keep up with Izetta. The difference is that it had no nose-mounted cannon and three propellers instead of four. Or at least that's what I've seen from the specifications and images._

 _The Amerika Bomber that Berkmann and Rickert operate from never appeared in the anime. It's a weapon I made for this fic based on Germany's experimental weapons from World War II. In this case, the Amerika is a fusion of the Horten bomber with some influence from the BV 238 flying boat. Furthermore, the name comes from Nazi Germany's Amerika Bomber project: several models of long-range bombers were supposedly able to fly into the United States mainland, bomb whatever targets they marked, and then fly back to Germany in one go. The name felt like a perfect fit for such an aircraft considering its role as a flying warship in this story._

 _Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter._


	16. Episode 6-3

_Now that it has come to this, I decided to introduce my original series that will appear next in the series, Universal Lady Justice Aya._

 _Universal Lady Justice Aya, or ULJA for short, is a magical girl project that doubles as a modern fantasy series. It takes in a world similar to ours but includes an island in the middle of the East China Sea known as Arahi. This little island became a refugee center as a part of reconstruction efforts after a series of rogue waves destroyed all the coastline cities in the Pacific. Long after the next decade, this island became a hellhole of crime and corruption with only the paramilitary forces and entertainment centers being the only stable parts of its society._

 _However, this is also the place where magical girls revealed themselves to the world, born from those who suffered lives of misfortunate and have been given powers to fight back. These girls and their allies existed long before Arahi's foundation and operated as an armed resistance against powerful forces who seek to exterminate or exploit them._

 _The most prominent character, as the name states, is Aya Masayoshi. Born in the dark world of Arahi and suffering years of abuse, she has become a powerful magical girl that draws the attention of the Anti-Magic Faction, a shadow organization that uses advanced weaponry imbued with anti-magic to hunt down magic users. Tired of running and not willing to waste her chance at a new life, Aya gathers allies from Arahi and decides to take the initiative, creating a haven for magical girls and liberating them from their oppressors._

 _The story is composed of five parts, though the first three can be categorized as one arc while the last two can compress into another. So far, Part I has already been published, but I seek to rewrite it from a TV script to a light novel series. Other than that, I've been focusing my attention on the second arc._

 _Magical Girl Convergence will take place during the second arc, which sets up the conflict on the global stage and includes all essential elements in the series. I'll get to details on all the aspects of the series (characters, terms, weapons, vehicles, locations, etc.) as the fic goes on._

 _And now to wrap up the story._

 _Tracks used:_

 _1. **Guardian ~SIRBINE~ - New Story of Aura Battler Dunbine/SUPER ROBOT WARS T**_

 _2._ ** _Omoi no saki ni_ _\- SUPER ROBOT WARS X_**

 _3. **Minna wo Mamoru Tameni** **\- STRIKE WITCHES OST**_

 _4. **?** \- **SUPER ROBOT WARS**_

 _Note: #4 is a mystery because I know what track I want, but can't find the name. I'll update once I find it._

* * *

 **(1)**

Inside the machine that just saved the Witches near its feet, a boy remained alert over his situation. He was around fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing blue pants and a black shirt that looked like a school uniform. He had a violin bow stuck his back of his shirt, which felt pretty uncomfortable but was necessary for reasons he could not understand. He held onto the two static handles by his legs as he observed his surroundings; although the machine was sealed shut, he had a decent view of everything that was in front of him.

 _If I thought piloting a mecha in the middle of a warzone was crazy,_ Kyoko Liu thought as he observed the battlefield. _Now, to think I'd end up in a place like this._

The boy took easy steps. Other than avoiding the girls he protected, he did not want to push his mecha too hard. Too much power into the machine and he could self-destruct the Mana Converter that gave it electricity and the ability to move. After all, his Titania was a Machina Unit that ran on his mana, of which he did not have a lot.

But even that was strange. The last time Kyoko piloted this machine, the kid was sure that his mana supply ran out. He had no idea how long he was out, but by the time the boy woke up, he found himself completely recharged, and even the robot powered on without him. He handwaved it, thinking it was just his imagination, but the results spoke for themselves as the machine was moving faster and more powerful than before.

Well, it was not always like that. It varied from place to place, with the Titania getting mana on its own. Or perhaps he was getting the mana somewhere other than the girls beside him.

That was the logical conclusion as the girls looked drained of mana or were using it elsewhere. The blonde girl projected a circular shield while the younger girl performed a healing spell around another girl with a severe wound. What startled him was the etiquette of the girls. Besides having different uniforms and wearing propeller-driven machines that were likely powered by magic, they were showing their panties in front of him. That kind of sight prompted him to look away, though that could be a danger all by itself.

Aside from that, they never showed any signs of harm, so he was better off fighting for them.

"Are you girls okay?"

Kyoko received some nods before he faced back to the battle in the sky. It was one with the girls wearing those Machina Units on their legs fighting off against a squadron of planes and a large black machine hovering in mid-air.

"You magical girls better stand back," Kyoko told the magical girls below. "I will take of this."

"M-Magical girls?" Yoshika was left confused by what the pilot meant.

Before she could question him, the carapace started to unfold, showing vents on the back that glowed bright green. The lower insect wings fluttered for a bit as they emitted a purple aura. The machine then took off with strong thrust blowing into the Witches' faces. The girls remained astonished by the power of such a machine.

"That thing can fly!?"

Perrine jumped as the Machina Unit took off. While it did, purple wings of energy sprouted from the lower insect wings and the upper carapace shells. The purple wings looked like it was leaking energy as it formed a butterfly-like design.

"So pretty," Yoshika thought as she gazed upon the beautiful sight of the robot's wings, though she did feel a heavy pressure coming from it. It was out of instinct by the girl, but whoever controlled must have either a strong or heavily burdened heart.

Izetta could feel the same thing, just as when she sensed the energy.

 _There is no doubt. It uses the same kind of energy as my magic and that of the other Witches._

She was sure of it the moment it took off. But even when a male in her clan was compatible, only female members were able to use magic. It left her curious over who was the pilot that operated such a dangerous machine.

Alice followed the machine as she took off, waiting for Izetta to regain her magic. She was more attracted to the giant mechanical weapon that just defended Izetta and the others as it headed towards the Neuroi.

"Major, are you seeing this?" the Psionic girl exclaimed in the intercom. "What is that thing!?"

The other Witches in the air noticed the approaching vehicle, also unsure of what it was.

"Could it be a Neuroi on our side?" Lynette guessed.

"No," Minna sensed the same thing Izetta noticed. "If it were, then it would shoot red beams instead of green. That machine uses something different from a Neuroi core. Rather it uses magic like us, or rather like Izetta's."

"It does appear to be an enemy," Mio noticed as it headed straight for the Neuroi as it continued attacking it. "We must be cautious. As long as it is not hostile, support the unit and don't let the enemy shoot it down!"

"Roger!" Lynette complied as she provided cover fire.

Meanwhile, Bassler just got the message about the mysterious machine entering the airspace.

"Captain, an unknown unit came from the island below us!"

"I see it," he noticed it long before everyone else did. Even he wondered why it was there and how it got here in the first place.

"It looks like it's moving to attack us," one of the Germanian pilots dived towards the unknown machine. "Allow us to engage, Captain!"

"Hold it!" the Captain demanded. "We don't know what is. Don't charge in so recklessly!"

Unfortunately, Kyoko already realized that the enemy planes wanted a fight. He was no history expert, but he saw something familiar in the textbooks he read, and these machines belonged to the enemy.

 _These guys want to fight, huh?_ Kyoko thought as the plane pelted bullets at his Machina Unit. He was once again forced to do something he didn't want. _Well, it's not like they never wanted one, so I'll have to give it to them._

As the plane was about to fly past him, Kyoko focused his mind on the controls. He dashed to the side at high speed with instant acceleration that nearly threw him off the seat. By the time he recovered, he had found himself in front of the plane's path while tried to turn around. In response, he raised the Titania's right arm, which slammed onto the Me 109's cockpit. The shield crushed the pilot, and the plane's remains brushed past the Titania as they fell.

"You idiot!" Bassler reacted over the pilot's death. "Don't engage too close! Keep your distance!"

The enemy planes started firing their guns at the Titania from afar. Only Bassler got anywhere near Kyoko's machine as he struggled to avoid the attacks. Even though their weapons were insignificant, and he had far superior performance regarding mobility, the Titania was still a huge target standing at nearly 7 meters. There was also the fact the machine was ancient and rugged in certain places. He could feel the friction from the joints. It won't be long before they end up finding some weak point for the enemy to exploit. Thus, he had to take them out first.

Fortunately, his Machina Unit continued to receive power elsewhere, and the Mana Converter showed no signs of deteriorating. He used the machine's speed to his advantage by steadily accelerating until he went as fast as he could go without feeling some G-LOC.

The Germanian fighters found themselves shocked as it cruised towards them.

"What!? How did it get so fast!? AGGGHH-"

After following it on the side, Kyoko cut the plane apart with his sword. He swore he could hear the guy's chatter right when he destroyed the machine and ended his life. He had forgotten how to operate his radio's controls, which meant it was stuck receiving everyone's frequencies and transmitting them through its speakers.

He fought through all the screams and nearby chatter as he continued fighting off the enemy planes. His next victim was another plane that flew the same speed as him, which he tackled with the left leg's talons. Then took out another plane by cutting off its wing with his sword.

Just then, the Neuroi acted to the situation. By avoiding the nearby Witches, it converged its beams before firing a large one at the Titania. Kyoko was hesitated to respond, only detecting through the screens' sensors and red flash at the side. He more of flinched over the enemy attack, but he raised his shield to protect himself. The powerful red laser pushed the Titania upon impact, but the shield still deflected it into several smaller beams. The beam scratched the shield, and Kyoko was thrown against his seat as the Titania was knocked back. But the Machina Unit remained intact, suffering minor damage.

"That machine's shield just deflected a Neuroi beam!" Lynette jumped in surprise.

"Where the hell did the Allies get that from?" a nearby Germanian pilot shouted.

 _Neuroi beam? Allies?_ Kyoko had no idea what they meant by that, though the latter further confirmed his suspicions. He was surely stuck in a different period and one that was similar, but different from what he knew. He continued to evade the Germanian planes as Bassler swooped in for another attack.

"I don't know where you got that thing," Bassler went after the robot again. "But there's no way I'm going to lose to you so easily!"

"Oh yeah?" Kyoko spoke to him on cue, as if he heard that before. "Well, it seems quite a number of your guys are already dead!"

Kyoko that erupted from the speakers startled even the Germanian captain causing him to fly away. The nearby Witches were even more surprised like those below.

"A male pilot?" Mio was first to break the silence. "With so much magic?"

"There's a boy inside that thing?" Lynette repeated.

Kyoko wondered why that was surprising. He guessed that men weren't so popular with piloting Machina Units. Not that it didn't matter for him because he didn't want to operate the machine either. It was a series of coincidences that brought him here and doing what it took to survive.

But that didn't mean he was going to let himself be the only victor here. He never knew them, but the girls reminded him of a few acquaintances with whom he could get along. The planes also attacked him first just like that red and black machine, so he'd better fight for the other side.

As the Neuroi halted its attack, Minna decided to contact the machine.

"Listen, if you're not an enemy, target the enemy black craft in front of you."

"The black craft?"

"Right now, it's threatening our allies and supporting the Germanians. If you can help us, take it out, and we'll deal with the rest."

"I understand," Kyoko acknowledged as he charged against the black and red machine. It responded in kind by firing volleys of lasers at him.

 _Aliens firing lasers in a World War II setting. Just what kind of world did I get myself into?_

* * *

 **(2)**

Gertrude found herself facing the sky. Her body could feel the grass tickling her skin and the gentle breezes that followed. She wondered how she could still be alive after falling unconscious until a familiar face appeared before her.

"Y-Yoshika?"

The Lieutenant found herself surrounded by a large field of blue energy. It was the effect of Yoshika's magic as her wounds started to close up.

"I'm healing your wounds right now."

"Leave me," Gertrude begged. "If you stick around, you'll all be in danger…Just…focus on the enemy."

"No," Yoshika refused. "I will save you. We're comrades, aren't we?"

"Forget about me," Her voice grew weak. "My life deserves to be sacrificed…for the sake of restoring my family's honor…and removing the curse inflicted by…Weisse Hexe."

"Weisse Hexe? Izetta-san?"

Perhaps the girl did not know of Izetta's importance, more specifically her significance to the Barkhorn family of which she belonged.

"Long ago…our clans all made a pact that we would serve the Weisse Hexe and whoever would take her place…until…"

"Barkhorn-san, hold on!"

"Listen, Miyafuji! Our clan betrayed Weisse Hexe!" Barkhorn's angered voice shook Yoshika, disrupting her focus. "There was a moment…when our clan was supposed to help her when she was great peril…yet we turned our backs on her. Before she died, she cursed us for being too weak…since then, we were never able to save anyone…not even our family whenever disaster struck. That's why I must…"

"You're wrong!" Yoshika snapped back to her work. "Of course, you can save people!"

"I can't," Barkhorn gazed into the air. "Not even one person."

"If you do not live! If you're alive, you can always try again. Because even if I can't save everyone, as long as I live, I can protect as many people as I can!"

"Why should I be saved…There's nothing in this life…"

"Don't die, Lady Barkhorn!"

The Lieutenant jumped when she heard Izetta's voice. The girl may be more naïve and weak-willed than she thought, but she had never expected the White Witch to say something like that.

"W-Weisse Hexe?"

"I may not be able to protect everyone either, but that does not mean I'll abandon someone who is hurt!"

"Weisse Hexe?"

"My grandmother always called our ancestor a traitor," Izetta recalled those words during her life. "I don't know why. All she wanted was to save the Princess's country. How can someone be a traitor by doing that!?"

For once, Barkhorn remained shocked. Like all the other Witch clans, her family always held the Weisse Hexe in high regard. But one of their own was calling her a traitor. How could that be?

"To tell you the truth, I don't know how your family betrayed our clan, or why they did. But I know that you're trying your best to help me! And your sister, Chris!"

"C-Chris?"

"You're a good person, Lady Barkhorn! That's why I want you to live!"

"To…live?"

That's when she remembered through an image of her sister from that time. Before Kristallnacht, the day the Neuroi and Germanians came into the city, Chris was still healthy and walking well. Within her bedroom, she asked her older sister.

 _Sister, is Weisse Hexe real?_

 _Chris?_ Despite being aware that she was hallucinating, she could not help but gaze at the young girl she used to know.

 _I hear that she's a good person who saved many people, and all the other Witches love her. She's like a queen or a goddess who protects us whenever our lives were in danger. But the other girls say we betrayed the White Witch, and she won't protect us._

 _I,_ she remembered those words. As part of the Witch clan that once betrayed her, it was inevitable. But she looked so hurt and worried like she wanted to know that it wasn't right.

 _Please, sister,_ Chris said smiling but with tears in her eyes. _I want to believe that she loves us, too._

At that time, Gertrude never gave a response. Despite all their attempts to get stronger, her family seemed to encounter misfortunate without end. She also wanted to believe that the White Witch forgave them, and the curse would lift.

That's when Chris's hallucination triggered a flashback, to the day of Kristallnacht that nearly got her killed. She blamed herself for getting her involved all that time. But the fact remains that the Neuroi and the Kaiser's SS tried to gun her down, or worse, send her to the deadly prison camps. That she could not abide, and by seeing Miyafuji's face again, it sparked a moment of life for her.

"Chris!"

The Karsland Witch jumped right in front of Miyafuji's face, forcing her to back out of the way. The nearby Neuroi fired a converged against her, which she responded with a powerful shield.

 _This time…This time, I will do it!_

"Barkhorn-san?" Yoshika stood amazed by her swift recovery. Even Perrine and Izetta were speechless as the Lieutenant faced them both.

"Stand back, Weisse Hexe," she told the adolescent Witch before facing the Neuroi. "From here on, I will protect you."

"Lady Barkhorn?"

"Gertrude Barkhorn, taking off!"

The Karsland Witch then took off, charging at the Neuroi that tried to kill Miyafuji and Izetta. Now it time to atone for her family's crime and remove the curse inflicted upon them.

The flying machine continued to battle with the Neuroi as did the nearby Witches. Minna and Lynette opened fire while Mio continued searching for the core. However, the Germanians continued to get in the way as Bassler swooped in with the flight, forcing Mio to put up her shield. They were also a bother for whoever piloted the humanoid machine, which was busy repelling both the Neuroi and the enemy planes.

One of the planes got down by the robot's sword before Bassler attacked its shell-like wings. That caused the machine to stutter for the moment as it swerved away. Even it appeared to have its limits, and despite its excellent speed and mobility, the planes were already conjuring ways to counter it.

 _If only there were some way to break this stalemate,_ Minna thought. Only then could they-

"RRAAGGGGGHHHH!"

The screams of a familiar Karsland Witch echoed in the air, and she charged angrily at the enemy Neuroi.

"Barkhorn!" Minna called out, both with joy and anger as she charged in once more.

The reborn Witch gunned down two more 109s that stood in the way. The remains of one plane collided with another barrier projected by Yoshika as they trailed behind.

"Yoshika-chan! Perrine!" Lynette cheered as they closed in on the enemy Neuroi.

"You're not going to have your way!" Bassler attempted to swoop down and attack the Lieutenant again but saw a few more bullets fly past them. These came from Yoshika and cracked his cockpit on the left side. The Galian Witch's lightning additionally forced him to break off his attack run to avoid being hit, pulling his plane to the right.

That was enough time for Mio to locate the enemy core.

"Target the center of the Neuroi. Destroy the enemy core!"

Upon hearing this, their unexpected ally aimed with its right hand after deflecting another laser. Something charged up in its palm, but it was interrupted when the Neuroi fired its beams again. The other Witches provided cover as it charged towards the enemy craft, using its sword to cut into the shell. After two hard, deep cuts into the center that hurt the girls' ears, it placed its right hand into the intersection of its wounds. A few moments later, a large green energy beam blew a hole into the Neuroi exposing its core.

Lieutenant Barkhorn pulled no punches as she charged at the center of the Neuroi. She used all the ammunition she had left and collided into the craft to break the core. The shards of the Neuroi showered around her, and she felt a sign of victory. The Witches were all distracted by Gertrude triumph over the enemy Neuroi, not noticing that the mysterious machine that supported them started descending to the ground, its wings and thrusters slowly depleted of power. Gertrude nearly followed but made a controlled descent back to the island.

Bassler grunted over the lost. They sacrificed a lot of men, but barely got one kill aside from the Neuroi shot down Barkhorn. He could hear his soldiers reporting the obvious to him.

 _"Captain! The Neuroi has been destroyed!"_

"Don't panic," the Captain shook off the sudden disadvantage. They may have lost their most powerful asset in this battle, but the enemy took a toll as well. "The enemy is exhausted; we can still take them-"

 _"That's enough, Captain."_

"M-Major?"

Berkmann's voice came into the radio. He and the Second Lieutenant were already back in the Amerika, bringing their communication equipment with them. Although the robotic weapon was way beyond what they expected, they already saw what they needed to see, and the loss of the Neuroi was more than enough to pay off.

 _"The mission is already complete. There is no need to continue the battle."_

"But-"

 _"That's an order, Captain,"_ Berkmann said in a threatening tone. _"I hope you'll obey it."_

The Captain slammed his console while obeying his orders. If it were sooner, they could have gotten at least one or two of the Witches like one of the newbies they encountered. He grumbled upon turning his new plane back to the Germania. The rest of the air fleet followed suit.

"Enemy planes are retreating," Perrine reported.

"We won, we beat them," Lynette sighed with relief.

"Yes, but I have a bad feeling about this."

"Major?"

"We defeated the Neuroi and stopped the Germanians, but they only deployed fighters. They also revealed to us that they could control the Neuroi."

"They also nearly got Sister Izetta along the way," Lynette faced the island where the White Witch fell back. She noticed that Izetta was out of combat for a while, which made her realize something. "Could that mean…"

"Tsch," the Major clicked her tongue as she also knew what was wrong. The objective was not the destruction of the base, or to lure out the 501st into a trap. It was about luring Izetta and testing her capabilities, searching around for weak points. She cursed the fact she did not realize it sooner.

"In any case," Perrine flew over. "I think we should get back to the base. It won't be long before we start running low on magic."

"Hold on, Sakamoto-san," Yoshika intervened to the Galian Witch's annoyance. "Shouldn't we thank whoever was in that machine that saved us?"

"The Commander and Barkhorn have already landed there," Mio said in agreement as she noticed the two Karsland Witches descending. "We better see them before we head back."

"Sister Izetta is on that island, too," Lynette joined. "We can't leave her there either."

Mio nodded as she gave orders.

"All units follow my lead. We will make a temporary landing on that island, regroup with the commander, and investigate the large machine."

"Roger!"

Together, they all flew back down to the island. Not only would they see to the White Witch and Karsland Witches that rested there, but also hope to get some answers.

* * *

 **(3)**

Gertrude stood before the commander. She could tell her superior was not pleased with her. She had to apologize to her after what happened.

"Minna, I-"

The commander interrupted her with a loud slap in the cheek. The attack hit her far more emotionally than painfully, leaving her completely stunned.

"What the hell were you thinking!? You nearly got yourself killed out there! If we lose you, then what are we supposed to do!? You may have lost your homeland and everything else, but so did we! The Kaiser has taken everything away from us, and you think this is all your concern!? We're a team! No, a family! Everyone in this squadron is!"

Minna wrapped her arms tightly around the Lieutenant. The commander was not willing to let her go, not after her near suicide attempt. Being motivated by her family burden was one thing, and the commander covered for her after demonstrating their allegiance and pact to Weisse Hexe, but none of that justified getting herself killed. The very thought of that brought tears into her eyes.

"Please, let go of the past…I don't want you to lose your life because of what happened in your family. What do you think Weisse Hexe, no, Izetta would think if you ended up dead!?"

The Lieutenant remained speechless. She could not argue with the Lieutenant anymore, especially after she heard Izetta telling her to live. Now she nearly betrayed the legendary clan again by sacrificing her life in vain.

"Your sister, Chris, will get better. Izetta will forgive you, but not if you decide to throw your life away like that!" Minna stopped hugging and faced her subordinate. "We Witches are the only ones who can protect everyone. For her sake, for Izetta's sake, and your friends' sake, you must live on!"

"We are a family, aren't we?" Gertrud faced the White Witch, who also had a worried expression alongside Yoshika and Perrine. She sighed in defeat. "Sorry, Weisse Hexe- I mean, Izetta."

"D-Don't worry," Izetta waved it off, though her face proved otherwise. "I just didn't want to tell the Princess that I could not save a friend's life."

"A friend, huh?" the Lieutenant went back to her commander, turning to a new issue. "Minna, can I take a vacation? I want to visit my sister."

"Lady Barkhorn?"

Izetta caught the Lieutenant's change in behavior. She heard about her sister when she talked to Commander Wilcke, but Gertrude never spoke about it with her. The two Witches faced each other directly.

"Also, could I bring Izetta with me?"

"E-Eh?" Izetta got taken by surprise as Barkhorn approached her.

"Chris also believes in Weisse Hexe. Before our homeland fell, she told me that if I should find her, I should ask her to demonstrate her power in front of her. Please forgive me for immediately asking you such a selfish request."

"I-I-I'm not sure. I-I will need to ask the Princess if I can, but if she says I can…"

Gertrude ignored her stuttering as she went back to Minna.

"Would that be alright, Commander?"

"Of course, you can."

Izetta jumped with a luminescent blush as the commander chuckled. The Lieutenant once again bowed before leaning towards the reluctant White Witch. Major Sakamoto could not help but laugh at the unusual moment from the usually stern Lieutenant.

"So she finally decided to do it, huh?"

"But I did not get to do anything," Yoshika said with guilt.

"That's not true," Lynette objected. "You and Sister Izetta saved the Lieutenant. Isn't that enough? And now, the Barkhorn family saved your life as well."

"Well, I," Yoshika was distracted by another stern girl who approached her.

"Thank you," the Galian Witch surprised girl before turning face.

"Perrine-san?"

"I just wanted to express my gratitude for saving the Lieutenant."

"Well," Yoshika's slow response provoked a response.

"I give you thanks, and you're not even going to say, 'You're welcome' back!?"

"It's not that," Yoshika retorted before returning to a soft voice. "But I'm not the one you should be thanking."

"What is it, Yoshika-chan?" Lynette found her wondering about something else.

"The boy, that machine from before, it's still here."

"You're right," Mio observed their surroundings, only finding the insect-like robot that supported them. "Alice is not around here, either."

"Whoever he is, it's not our problem," Perrine hmphed. "As for that weird girl, she can run off for all I care."

"But she's our friend, just like Izetta," Lynette defended the Psionic girl. "And that machine helped us. Whoever he is, we should at least thank him."

"Correct," Mio nodded. "We need to assess the situation right away."

"Sakamoto-san?" Yoshika faced the Major.

"It's too early to report this, so we should know more about this machine and its pilot. If he is not an enemy, then he could be very helpful to us."

They were immediately interrupted when they heard some metallic collisions. They found Alice around the machine, which lost the purple wings and green mana it emitted.

 **(4)**

"Hello? Hello? Is anyone in here!? HELLO!?"

The Psionic girl banged with her gauntlets while screaming at it. She'd been at this for a while since she landed and approached the robot that fought beside them. She expected him to respond for some time, but she got impatient and struck the unit.

She received her answer when the chest of the machine lifted upward. From there, a young teenage boy exited the vehicle. He wore a uniform, but as far as the other Witches can tell, it was something more for school than the military.

"Settle down," Kyoko called down to the Psionic girl. "I could have opened it up whenever you wished."

"So it really is a boy," Yoshika gazed about their sudden protector.

"Isn't that surprising?" the kid pilot stepped out while looking at the girls, especially by their legs. "And I thought a bunch of girls fighting in their underwear was weird."

"Our underwear?" Lynette said consecutively alongside Yoshika, both of whom wore embarrassing red cheeks on their faces.

"How rude," Perrine retorted violently at the boy. "Don't you know that I wear pants, too!"

"May I remind you that we have reasons and certain regulations for this attire," Minna defended her comrades with a sharp tongue.

"S-Sorry" he realized that he just offended them. "It's that I've already been through so much. Even now, I still wonder if this is all but a dream."

"We assure you this is all real," Mio glared with her open eye. "Now, would you care to state your name and affiliation?"

"Straight to the point, huh? Don't worry, I dealt with military personnel, so it's not a problem."

"How about we introduce ourselves first?" Yoshika walked to him.

"Miyafuji!"

"Miyafuji?" Kyoko repeated as she nodded and bowed.

"I am Yoshika Miyafuji of the Fuso Empire. Please to meet you!"

"Fuso Empire?" he shook his head. "Sorry, but I never heard of that."

"Eh, you've never heard of Fuso?"

"I'm afraid so," he said with regret. "The closest country I know of is Japan."

"Japan?"

The boy went to the other girls who regrouped.

"Sorry to should ask, but what year is this?"

"Huh!?" Perrine exclaimed. "First, you tell us about wearing our underwear, and now you ask us what year is this? What do you think are, some royal brat!?"

"Perrine," Mio silenced the girl before resuming. "May we ask why you're so concerned about the year?"

"Because where I ever I am, technology does not seem to be modern, not to mention the Machina Units you're wearing."

"Machina Units?" Yoshika said as a question. "Are you talking about our Striker Units?"

"Uh, yeah, that," Kyoko wasn't sure what to say. "And they all look like something I see from the second World War. Though I did not expect the Germans and Japanese to be so friendly with the British and French."

"Germans?" Gertrude said with sharp eyes. "We assure you that we are _not_ Germanian."

"By the British, don't you mean Britannian?" Lynette also corrected him.

"Uh, yeah, if that's how you say it," he was unsure, but they sounded familiar enough that he could somehow say he was on planet Earth. "At least, there's some connection going on. Maybe I'm in the early stages before the war, or even a mixture with the first one, where it had nothing to do with it."

"What do you mean?" Mio eyed on the boy.

"Because I thought you would identify me as Chinese."

"Chinese," Yoshika trailed on the word.

"So you know about China?"

"We know about China, but…"

"Unfortunately, China has already been consumed by the Neuroi," Mio completed Yoshika's response.

"Neuroi?"

"That red and black machine you just destroyed, an enemy of mankind."

The boy leaned back on his machine and wiped the sweat off his head.

"I must have appeared on a different Earth then. And over 100 years into the past."

"A different Earth?" the Major narrowed her eye again.

"100 years?" Yoshika also found herself confused.

"Why are you saying this nonsense?" Gertrude responded. "Where exactly do you come from?"

"Because the year I come from is 2056 AD," the boy retorted. "And where I come from, China still exists, but never these machines you call Neuroi."

"2056?" Yoshika wondered.

"The Neuroi never existed?" Minna was skeptical of the boy's words, which added to his frustration.

"Sorry, even if you're military, I can't understand my situation if you don't tell me what's going on."

"You must be lost then," Minna had to make a decision. After all, it was not safe to have a conversation on an island close to Germanian soil. "If you can follow us, we'll give you an explanation of everything that's happened."

"Thanks. Sorry if I was aggressive."

Mio once again gave her laugh to the startled boy.

"There's no need to worry. We are also confused about what has happened."

"I'm glad someone understands," he turned to his humanoid machine before turned back. "By the way, can someone help me with something? I need someone to power my Titania. It can't fly without some mana."

"Titania?" Lynette was sure to have heard the name somewhere.

"It's this machine's name," the Chinese boy explained. "It's a Machina Weapon, just like your Striker Units, but it requires vast amounts of power."

"Didn't you fly it before?" Yoshika asked.

"I have some mana pool I can tap into that allows me to operate this machine, but I'm apparently out of energy."

"That's not surprising," Minna replied.

"In this world, male Witches exist," Perrine with pride, as if to mock the boy in retribution. "But they are rare and do not generate as much mana as typical female Witches. That's why we can operate Striker Units with ease."

"Male Witches, huh?" the boy stared at the Witches for a few seconds before returning to his Titania. "Well, the Mana Converter is delicate. They told me I'm the best and only person who can operate this without overloading it."

"Weren't you doing well just now?" Alice inquired. "You looked fine taking out that Neuroi and destroying those Germanian planes right about now."

"I don't generate mana as you do," the boy retorted. "Plus, I run on a limited pool that ran out when I landed here. Although, I noticed that it didn't happen when I was flying around before then."

"That's true," the White Witch came into the group.

"Izetta-san?" Yoshika turned to her.

"The energy you use is similar to mine. It absorbed Mana from an external source that allowed it to fly and fight."

"In other words," Minna concluded towards the boy. "You're dependent on the ley lines as well."

"Lay lines?"

"That's where my magic comes from," Izetta answered him.

"You're not like the girls with these Striker Units?" the boy inquired the White Witch, prompting her to shake her head.

"My clan is different, for our power does not come from within. We gain our energy from the Earth's ley lines. Some areas will have plenty of mana, while others have little or no magic. That's why I fight well in some places but am useless in others."

"That explains a lot of things," he muttered to the girl's confusion. "Does anyone else know about this?"

"It's only us. The rest who knew were hunted down and killed."

"I thought the AMF didn't have a presence here," The boy looked down and muttered to himself again.

"Pardon?" Minna heard some of his thoughts before he returned to the topic.

"Never mind, if you could help get the Titania started, I should be able to handle the rest."

"I understand, we will help you power your Titania. Then if you're so kind, follow back to base."

"I know the ley lines around here," Izetta offered. "You can follow me so you won't fall."

"I appreciate it," the boy thanked the girls before walking up to his unit. He paused for the moment before turning back to the girls. "By the way, my name is Kyoko Liu. I am formerly a student from Arahi Island, who recently returned to my parents' home in Singapore. I only hope I can get through this mess."

"Please to meet you, Kyoko-san," Yoshika kindly replied.

"Arahi Island?" Lynette drew a blank. "What's that?"

The alien boy sighed, knowing that he wouldn't have an easy time. Even though there were some similarities, he was thrown into a new world and into a different period in time. There is so much he will have to go over before they can understand, and that is if they believe him, and he can get used to everything around this strange place.

"Guess I have a lot of explaining to do where I'm going."

* * *

 _And there you have it, the end of the Episode and some of the third work. Below are some important files._

* * *

 _ **Machina Units**_

 _ **Machina Units** (also called **Machina Weapons** ) are simple in concept; they are machines powered by magic. They can range from simple machines, like guns or tools, to more complicated devices such as mecha, hovercrafts, autonomous drones, and flying warships. Although powerful by their own right, they have the same limitations as any advanced machine and require any person with engineering skills to design and create them._

 _The power source could vary depending on how it's designed. Some will use a battery, some will use a **Mana Core** that works not so different from a Fusion Reactor, and others use the pilot's own mana to power it. But the most important component in a Machina Unit is its **Mana Converter** , a device that works like a computer's CPU. While it can channel raw Mana, but its primary function is to convert it into other usable forms of energy, specifically electrical and mechanical for its electronic systems and motor functions respectively. However, the Mana Converter is different depending on how it's made and what systems it powers up. Not only does the efficiency vary, but so does its power requirements needed to operate it safely. Too little power and the Machina Unit will not work at all, or as efficiently as it should. Too much power and the Converter or other systems could burn out, if not explode. Therefore, it's always required to test the source's power level before activating the unit._

 _**Hybrid-Machina Units** have become more common in the present day. These machines are just like standard Machina Units, except they use non-magical, conventional power sources as an auxiliary system. This secondary power source is useful for whenever Mana is not available. For that reason, it has become popular with resistance forces who carry out operations under anti-magic conditions. _

* * *

**_Titania Prototype_**

 _Unit Type: Prototype Machina Weapon_  
 _Crew: 1 (+1 Passenger)_  
 _Height: 6.9 meters_  
 _Weight: 8.7 metric tons_  
 _Armor: Unknown Fabrication Lattice_  
 _Cruising Speed: ~720 km/h_  
 _Maximum Speed: ~1,008 km/h_  
 _Minimum Optimization Power*: 2.0 Cs**_  
 _Safe Power^: 4.4 Cs_  
 _Ultimate Safe Power^: 6.5 Cs_  
 _Fixed Armaments: 1 x Combat Shield; 1 x Sword; 4 x Claws, mounted on arms; 2 x Mana Cannons, mounted on palms, 2 x Bullet Globes, mounted on shoulders_  
 _Hardpoints: 2 x mounted on shoulders_

 _*: The minimum amount of Mana power needed to operate the Machina unit at optimal efficiency. Mana Power below the minimum will cause the machine to perform below normal levels._  
 _**: Crystals, a measurement unit. Can be converted into Watts._  
 _^: The maximum power that the Machina unit, or often its Mana Converter can handle. Above this point is when the systems start to fail and break down. The Ultimate Safe Power is how much it takes for the machine to explode instantaneously._

 _This Machina Weapon was discovered during an operation to seize a Phantasma Box, a vault that takes the form of ancient artifacts, particularly jewels, and conceals weapons of forgotten history. The Phantasma Box was accidentally activated by Kyoko Liu, a former student at Arahi No. 28 Middle School, when it released the Machina unit concealed within. He was forced to pilot the old and rugged machine by instinct while pursued by the AMF._

 _Kyoko immediately found safety from the Black Iris, a submarine-like flagship, whose crew codenamed it "Titania" after the fairy from a Midsummer Night's Dream and the butterfly-like energy wings it gives off from its boosters. The Machina Weapon became his primary means of combat despite its worn-out state from lack of maintenance, the development of more refined models, and the setup for left-handed pilots (As a violinist, Kyoko is more used to his right hand)._

 _Over time, the crew managed to repair most of its damaged systems, including the two shoulder-mounted hardpoints used to store optional equipment on the back. Future analyses would lead to a mass-produced model on the Black Iris. Because the current technology is far behind what's found on the original Titania, this "prototype" remains an invaluable asset to the war effort_.

* * *

 _As a fact, Kyoko Liu is a minor character introduced as early as Part I. It wasn't until Part IV that he became prominent due to his affiliation with the main character. In a sense, he's more a replacement central protagonist until Aya emerges to retake the spotlight._

 _Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter._


	17. Episode 7-1

_Well, I'm now on Episode 7, which signifies the end of the arc. So once this Episode finishes, I'll be working on more important matters._

 _Also, the minor character introduced in this scene is a canon character in the series. Although the guy seemed to only appear in one episode, I thought I'd give him a little more significance considering the story this time around, even if it's not that much._

 _Anyway, here's the chapter._

* * *

That evening, the 501st returned to their base in Dover. Although they repelled the Germanian air forces and destroyed the Neuroi, they learned firsthand that the two were at least affiliated, if not allied with each other. But that was no longer their most worrisome concern; that was now the new addition into the unit.

In the briefing room of the Dover Base, the entire wing sat in their respective seats with Yoshika sitting next to Lynette. Sanya was also awake during this period, almost ready for her patrol.

"Would you care to explain this, Commander?" Finé sat on the next row behind the two younger Witches with Izetta next to her.

"I know that we get together for an important meeting, but-" Alice leaned by the windows with her arms crossed.

"Why is there a boy here?" Francesca cut in. Since Alice and the few others already knew about Kyoko and made attempts to his and the Titania's existence, they wondered why they had to reveal to the rest of the unit.

"We will get to that soon enough," the Commander faced the boy, who sat on the podium near the board. "Mr. Liu here can explain everything."

"I never expected a warm welcome," Kyoko snarked. "The question is, where should I start? And is there anything I should leave out?"

"You can start from the very beginning," Mio assured. "And there is no need; you're free to give much detail as need be."

"Very well, but I'll say this," he warned. "I won't sugarcoat things one bit, and don't call me crazy for being too outlandish."

"Try us," Shirley smugly challenged him, prompting her Commander sigh.

If he had anything in common with the nearby Archduchess and commanding officers, it was that explaining things was not going to be easy. What they don't know is that what he'll share may rile up some of the people in this room. But he already gave his warning, and there's no turning back. So he began.

"To start, my name is Kyoko Liu. I was born in China, but have a Japanese mother, and was a former student at No. 28 Middle School in Arahi."

"China?" Sanya questioned. "I thought that place was gone?"

"I never heard of the name Arahi either," Francesca was the most confused. "Commander, what's going on?"

"Calm down, everyone. Although it's hard to believe, Kyoko here will explain."

"Thank you, Commander," Kyoko addressed his grievances to Minna. "Sorry, but even now, it feels weird being supported by a Japanese and German in this era."

"Japanese and German?" Erica asked.

"That's Fuso and Karsland of his timeline," Gertrude explained. "Or rather, they're more like Germania."

"And I come from the year 2056, around 110 years after the war ended."

"110 years!?" Francesca jumped.

"It's unbelievable, but it's the truth," Minna assured. "He even gave us some of his belongings, and they're certainly not from this period."

"I also checked the giant's radio and equipment inside," Mio reported. "There's no way our people could make such a machine."

"You said you came from a time 110 years after the war ended," Lynette pointed out. "What did you mean by that?"

"A war similar to what you're in occurred the same period in my world. Only that it ended in 1945, and there were no aliens called Neuroi to fight."

"Then, who were they fighting? The Germanians?" Shirley inquired.

"Not just them. Germania, Fuso, and even what the Commander calls Romagna and Venezia were considered the world's enemy."

"EEEHH!?" Francesca jumped. Even Shirley and the others had similar expressions as they glanced at one another. "But that means-"

"This class would be split in half, killing each other by now. There was some fighting between Suomus and the Russians as well."

"Well," Now even Eila and Sanya glanced at each other with suspicion. "That's a surprising thing to know."

"Speaking this topic was never easy. My father's family had a terrible history in that era, and already has troubles with me having a Japanese mother. Let's say, whatever these Germanians in this period are doing now...the Japanese were not so different."

"I…I see," Mio looked at the Yoshika, who shrugged with guilt. "Sorry if this is hard for you."

"Don't worry. Even before I was born, we struggled to support ourselves, and my father did so much to support me just as she did. For that, I'm grateful."

"Your father must be a wonderful person," Yoshika admired.

"Not that wonderful, but it's traditional to honor my parents. Moreover, Fuso, or rather Japan, has changed dramatically since the war. Both culturally and on a global scale."

"Oh?" Mio narrowed with intrigue as Kyoko went on.

"For starters, it's one of the most advanced societies in our world. China, or rather Indochina, comes next. And they have a large share in the media industry."

"I'd be interested in hearing more about this."

"Perhaps not. Though when I think about, I've pretty much fallen into each of the most popular cliched genres they have. First, I learn that Magical Girls exist, then I fall into some mecha that played a crucial role in winning a battle. Right after, I suddenly find myself trapped in a different world. And now, I'm standing here getting the attention of so many girls who are probably looking my pants right now."

Kyoko's attempt to make a joke instead provoked an unnerved response from all the girls. Some of them, especially the more hardened girls like Gertrude glared at him. Shirley was the only who chuckled over the joke.

"So many girls," Yoshika trialed.

"Your pants?" Perrine also stuttered.

"That's enough," Mio hit the floor with her katana. "Kyoko, please be more considerate around here. May I remind you that you're dealing with military personnel and girls well below that particular age!"

"Sorry, M-Major," Kyoko apologized, feeling stupid for what he just said. "Those are just the kind of stories that are very popular in Japan nowadays. And from what I hear, they enjoy a lot of stories involving girl-only relationships, too."

"G-G-Girl-only relationships?" Izetta ended up blushing as well, turning away from the Archduchess. Some of the girls like Francesca snickered behind her back.

"Don't be too surprised," Kyoko shook it off. "As I said, I've been through so much lately I don't even know what's real or not."

"Can you at least tell us what happened before you arrived here?" Minna wished to resume the main topic.

"Like how you ended up going back over 115 years?" Alice also questioned. "From another timeline, no less?"

"I'll get to that, but first, you should know a little more about my world first," Kyoko went on. "Around sixteen years ago, the year I was born, there was a massive series of rogue waves and tsunamis that destroyed everything in that bordered the Pacific Coast."

"A series of tsunamis," Mio repeated by the side.

"The Pacific Coast?" Shirley's eyes narrowed as Kyoko continued.

"Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Los Angeles, any population center that resided near the Pacific got swept into the ocean. Countries collapsed, new governments established, power blocks formed, and reconstruction projects took place to rebuild society in that region. One such project was Arahi."

"Arahi, the island you mentioned," Minna recalled.

"After that incident, which became known as the Gunyawei Waves, refugees from all over set up Arahi as their new home. No one knows where the patch of land came from, but it was in the middle of the East China Sea, and the nearby powers could artificially expand the land. I'm surprised they even made it into a sizeable island out of a series of mountains and made a huge city on it, all in the first few years no less."

"Wow," Yoshika was naturally surprised. "I never knew your time could do such a thing!"

"Not exactly," the boy shook his head. "I was only there as an exchange student, but sometime after that, civilization on that island suddenly plummeted."

"Plummeted?" Gertrude questioned.

"High rates of crime, increasingly corrupt government, a large gap between the wealthy and poor, a brutal police force…the only real parts of the island that remained functional were its entertainment centers and paramilitary forces. But that's where Magical Girls started to appear."

"Magical Girls, you said that name before," Yoshika recalled. "What are they?"

"They're just like you Witches, except they don't wear ears and tails when they transform. They wear different clothes and gain magical weapons instead, and don't have to use Machina Units for flight."

"Machina Units?" Francesca was once again the confused one.

"They're the same as our Striker Units," Minna explained. "However, Kyoko says that the machine he uses, the Titania, is also one of them."

"So you can use magic, too?" Yoshika found himself amazed, though Kyoko shook his head.

"I wouldn't say that, and to be fair, I just started piloting that Titania recently."

"What!?" Perrine explained with suspicion. "Then how do you explain fighting so good against those Boche planes and taking down that Neuroi!"

"That wasn't my first time piloting it, nor was it as intense. I wasn't even able to use magic until I found the thing."

"Then how did you start using it?" Eila questioned.

"It was when I got caught up with the International Peacekeeping Forces. Think of it as a global military force dedicated to keeping peace around the world. At least that's how they put it."

"International peacekeeping forces?" Mio once again raised an eyebrow.

"The world must have developed a lot then," Shirley smirked.

"But why would they go after someone like you?" Yoshika wondered as the boy took a deep breath.

"Because apparently, they were a sub-unit affiliated with a much larger organization called the Anti-Magic Faction."

"Anti-Magic Faction…"

"You're talking about a group that hunts Witches? Or Magical Girls at that?"

"Exactly," Kyoko confirmed the Archduchess's guess. "I only know the minimal details, but they are a force dedicated to hunting magic users worldwide. They have a powerful military, too, yet are very covert about it."

"Why would a secret military be dedicated to killing Magical Girls?" Lynette asked, sharing the same awful feelings as Yoshika.

"Beats me, but this war of theirs has apparently gone for centuries at least, or maybe millennia," Kyoko shook his head. "I don't know, everything I say just comes from word of mouth."

"And who taught you all of this?" Mio questioned.

"The Arahi military, or rather those on their flagship, the Black Iris."

"Black Iris?"

"After the reveal of Magical Girls and their war with the AMF, a series of attacks provoked a global response that resulted in the invasion of Arahi and occupation of the island."

"But you were on that island, weren't you?"

"I already left by then, returned my family, who set our new home in Singapore. I was just lucky not to get caught up in that mess."

"Then how did you end with that Titania and this Black Iris?" Minna joined the Major.

"AMF agents and IPF forces were already investigating the island for a magical presence there. The next thing I knew, I ended up a target because I had mana within me."

"They couldn't possibly have tried to arrest you just for that," Shirley said with some ire in her voice.

"I wanted to say that, too, but I'm afraid they did," Kyoko gave the unfortunate news. "After that, a series of events happened where I found myself on that ship, helping them fight off AMF forces as the pilot of that Titania."

"And with that Titania, you somehow got teleported here, into our world," Minna went to the conclusion, which the boy confirmed with a nod. "Thank you for everything you've told us, Mr. Liu."

"Don't mention it," Kyoko waved it away. "It's not like I had any other choice, nor do I expect you to believe me."

"Well now, that you're here, you could leave all your troubles behind!" Francesca cheered for once.

"You're not hunted by any organizations where we are, aside from Germania," Erica back. "Magic users are pretty famous around here. You can help us fight against the Neuroi."

"You can even come to our home as well!" Yoshika offered, which was shot down by Bishop.

"I don't think it's that simple, Yoshika-chan."

"Eh? Why not?"

"Because aside from being from a different period, he's still a foreigner around here," Minna answered for Kyoko. "Getting used this place will be difficult for him and cast suspicion among the authorities."

"And besides wanting to get back home, I don't think I'm the only person who made it here."

"You mean there were others who might have possibly come to this world with you?" Mio had suspicions of who that could be.

"I'm sure of it. Because when I got sent to this parallel universe, the Black Iris and I were in a battle together with AMF forces."

"So you're saying these AMF could be in this world, too," Minna assumed.

"That and the Black Iris itself."

"Damn, and if I thought this world has it bad enough," Alice stretched her back before facing the Murlock standing on the windowsill. "Now we got Witch-hunting bad guys from the future coming after us, too? What do you say, Tipler? Uh, Tipler?"

The Murlock remained on the windowsill, gazing at the other visitor from the future. It would have been no matter if his eyes were that of intrigue, but they brought worry as well. It was as if this kind of event was not supposed to happen.

"In any case," Minna resumed the topic as she faced Kyoko. "We will do what we can to handle this kind of situation. But keep in mind, we're not exactly going to let you do as you please around here."

"I doubt you're going to report me," he snarked.

"Of course not. Unless there is further proof other than your Titania, this will not be enough to report you without repercussions."

"So you don't believe me even now, huh?"

"I'm afraid so," the Commander gave the unfortunate news but was surprised when she heard the young Fuso Witch respond.

"Don't worry, Kyoko-san. Whatever happens, we'll help to find somewhere you belong."

"Find somewhere I belong," the boy trailed on those words. "I guess you're right."

"Please make yourself here," Mio issued. "We'll tell you once we arranged a room for you on this base."

The unit then got dismissed. Kyoko did not doubt that they swamp him with questions after giving the speech about his world. He could see it with several Witches who remained looking at him. As much as they'd want to know more about him, he had other things on his mind like usual. One issue, in particular, was what brought him here.

 _Finding myself over 110 years into the past is hard enough to believe, but there was also that gray machine that sent me here,_ he recalled the battle. Right in the middle of that battle, a mysterious humanoid robot like his Titania appeared that looked like an AMF vehicle. But its weapons were utterly bizarre as it fired something that seemed to distort space in the area. If it weren't for his allies shielding the blast, he and the other likely would not have been alive, let alone end up in this place and time.

 _Father, mother, those on the Black Iris...I just hope you're all doing okay._

* * *

Germanian planes and ships were docked by the Sognefjord. This series of rivers and streams was one of many that bordered the North Sea. They were suitable locations for constructing large ships with one that housed aircraft docked nearby.

The Special Unit retreated with their bomber after the previous mission. For the past few days, the Germanian military launched seaplanes to retrieve pilots who miraculously survived. Some of that came from how a few of the Witches only attacked their planes, but not the pilots, allowing them to bail out. However, things were not exactly easy since a lot of other weird events happened that Berkmann read.

"All pilots have been retrieved," the Second Lieutenant reported. "A lot more survived than we anticipated."

"Captain Bassler's plane also made it in one piece," the Major smoked another cigarette. "Not that it's our concern."

"Major?"

"The amount of damage was significant, but it was more than enough to accomplish what we needed, the discovery of the White Witch's weakness."

"The White Witch's weakness?"

He recalled what he saw during the battle. While most of the 501st continued fighting their planes, they noticed how Izetta had trouble and even stopped working, especially nearly the island where she crash-landed. Still, to sacrifice that many pilots and machine, in addition to exposing their relationship with the Neuroi just for that little detail...

"Yes," the Major smoked again. "There are areas where she cannot obtain magic and is thus helpless against modern weaponry. The battle that other day displayed proof of that."

"Is that why you showed the Allies that we could control the Neuroi?"

"They would have figured it out eventually," the Major defended. "It was just a matter of how and when. Therefore, it was best to exchange one of our greatest secrets for one of theirs. That's why His Majesty approved the operation."

"To reveal the White Witch's weakness…"

While there was no doubt to the Major's words, it brought up another question: If the White Witch could not operate in some areas, was there a possibility someone mapped those areas? That's what Berkmann wanted to know.

"We have spies currently infiltrating the Duchy of Eylstadt for further information. It is said that the truth about the White Witch lies at the heart of its ancient castle. I want to get more information there, however…"

"However?"

"We've been assigned to a more recent matter," Berkmann said as he threw his cigarette onto the ground. "Apparently, there's large and unusual activity going on in the North Sea."

"That's right," Rickert recalled. "Do think it's related to that giant machine we saw?"

"I can't say for certain, but the reports of a large vessel appearing out of nowhere came in the same moment as that battle. The military is panicking over it."

"A large vessel?"

"They didn't get a close look at it, but the reports say that it looked like a giant submarine, far too big for our U-boat vessels. And it looked like it was running from something."

That last part made Rickert curious.

"Do you think it could be running from us?"

"I doubt it," Berkmann turned his away almost in laughter. "But the last report said they were in the middle of a battle with some unidentified group. There are at least two factions involved. The other had what they called "metal zeppelins" engaging the ship in mid-air."

"What kind of faction has that?" the Second Lieutenant openly muttered to the side over the fantastic idea of such a machine.

"That's why we've been sent to investigate. Once the Drachenfels is ready to depart, we'll be going."

"Drachenfels?" Rickert was surprised over that. The capital ship docked there so it would not be trapped in the Baltic as it finished construction, and it was only 85% complete. Even though it already had an aircraft complement and a launch system installed, the outer section and half of its equipment within were not ready yet.

"It's not exactly ready for combat, but it can still function as an aircraft carrier. We'll fly ahead in our Amerika bomber, too, for further assurance."

That said, the Major spoke like the carrier was only there for long-range support to avoid any danger of being sunk by the enemy.

"Do you think the Allies will intervene?"

"I do not doubt they will. That's why it should be important we get there first."

And with that, he stepped the butte of the burning cigarette. They then walked down the hallway to prepare for their next mission.

* * *

Nighttime came with the Witches getting ready to call it a night. But Alice was not prepared to sleep yet.

"What's up, Tipler?"

The Psionic girl called to Tipler within the room, which had no individual belongings that would make it distinct from the vacant ones. She got off from the bed after she caught him staring at the window for so long. That said, he's been quiet ever since that boy's introduction to his homeworld. He remained silent the entire time, which added further suspicion.

The Psionic patted the Murlock's head, almost forcibly by pressing heard and squeezing it. Tipler spent time to recover from that as he faced the girl.

"Alice-sama?"

"I know something is going on," she demanded. "I may not be that smart, but something from that boy's speech caught your interest. Is there something you're not telling me?"

"I," Tipler remained hesitant. It's as if he wanted to say something later, but there was no time for that now.

"Tell me. Did you come from a future 110 years ago? Or what is more than that? Was it even the same timeline?"

"I do not know," the Murlock shook his head.

"You say that you want me to save this world from the Vilag," Alice exclaimed in frustration. "And you're saying you don't know when or where it you came from!?"

"I'm afraid so," Tipler replied with remorse. "Even I do know how far across time I went through, only that it has existed for at least millennia."

"At least millennia?" Alice sat by a nearby chair and crossed her legs. "Explain."

"From what my master told me, the reign of the Vilag has gone for an indefinite amount of time. It could be decades, centuries, or millennia, or far longer. What I do know is that every timeline that fell to the Vilag belongs to a period known as the Convergence."

"Convergence?" the Psionic girl inquired, never hearing the word in her life.

"A place and time where all the timelines become the same and where the master declares even time stands still. That is the home of the Vilag."

The whole thing left Alice scratching her head. How could countless timelines that had different results and settings end up with the same outcome? That she did not know.

"I don't get it, the whole timelines combining into one thing," Alice confessed before displaying whiplash in the mood and slamming her fist. "However, if you say there's a way to stop, I'll be to prevent it, no matter what. And if Kyoko's world is trouble, too, and I'll stop the Vilag there as well!"

Just then, Murlock started tittering. It was more like squeaking, but it did not sound like crying. His reaction left the Psionic girl confused over his response.

"Huh? Was there something that I said?"

"This the first time, I've ever laughed like this," Tipler confessed. "Even when my master taught me, I was always unsure of what to do, if I was doing the right thing. But now, I see you've become surer of yourself than ever before."

"Of course, I am!" Alice then responded with smugness in her tone. "Just who the hell do you think _I_ am?"

"A Psionic girl certain to take on things to come."

"You know it."

With that remark, the Psionic girl felt more satisfied. She may not have something to protect, but that doesn't mean she will protect nothing, because everyone else's future here was at stake. It was not just her own life, and certainly not only Tipler's.

* * *

Air raid sirens went off in the morning. But although it was urgent, it was not an enemy attack. All the Witches lined up the hangar, needing onto their Striker Units to launch, with even Alice included. Commander Wilcke and Major Sakamoto stood in front to brief them. Alice leaned on a wall while Izetta stood by Finé near the commanding officers. Kyoko was the only one not present.

"This entire base has been recently ordered to dispatch," Minna addressed everyone as they stood by in a single line. "Our observation post just reported that a massive object has appeared in the middle of the North Sea. We don't know what it is, or who it's affiliated with, but it's approaching the coasts of Britannia. Command wants us to intercept it and confirms its affiliation before we recognize it as a hostile."

"The reports say that the machine looked like a black submarine floating in the ocean," Mio continued. "If it is hostile, we should take it down immediately before it can reach Britannia."

"Furthermore, the White Witch has also been tasked to help us in the following mission," Finé spoke to the 501st witches with Izetta in her typical White Witch gown. "Spectators, including Bianca and myself, will fly in an observation plane to witness the event."

Lynette was the first to jump at such a statement. Alice was next to respond, considering her status as a civilian.

"Finé, you're coming with us?"

"Tipler, too?"

Tipler stood in between Izetta and Finé. He talked to the Archduchess about seeing a mysterious object as well.

"I wish to investigate this matter."

"And I wish for representatives around the world to witness the power of the White Witch," Finé briefed. "Besides, I also would like to see this unknown object for myself."

Another man walked into the room. He wore the same uniform as a Britannian Air Force officer, which was the reason Lynette spoke first.

"Wing Commander Groman of the 633rd Air Squadron," the Britannian Lieutenant saluted "It is an honor to fight alongside the 501st Joint Fighter Wing in this endeavor, especially one of our own."

"T-Thank you, Wing Commander," Lynette responded with a blush.

"My grandfather came from Nord across the North Sea, so I consider it a homeland," he introduced himself to the Archduchess and White Witch. "I am willing to support the White Witch in any way I can to teach those Germanians and Neuroi a lesson."

"I am glad to hear it," Finé accepted her assistance. "We are welcome to have you abroad."

"I will do my best, and whatever I can. So please, help me however I can" Izetta bowed to him. "Thank you very much!"

"Likewise, White Witch," the Britannian officer chuckled. Izetta being submissive to the Britannian officer had to crack a smile among a few Witches, especially Gertrude and Erica nowadays.

"Groman will assist us in this operation," Minna added. "He and the Archduchess will remain distant in a Halifax to support the White Witch by providing her with 760 kg torpedoes to attack the enemy."

"7-760 kg torpedoes!?"

Perrine jumped by that statement. Even Eila and Sanya were surprised by it since the latter carried the only heavy weapon in their unit that was nowhere near that size. These were anti-ship torpedoes they were talking about, which was seriously heavy ordinance.

"I swear," Alice remarked. "The White Witch is getting far more powerful than she initially was by the second."

"Just shows how much they can trust her on this one," Gertrude addressed.

"If this submersible craft is indeed hostile, the 501st is ordered to support the White Witch immediately," Mio continued the briefing. "She will use the torpedoes to hit what appear to be launch bays and the command bridge on top. That shall reasonably be enough to bring down the ship with minimal armaments."

Izetta suddenly felt Finé wrap her arms around her shoulders. The sudden act left Izetta speechless, and the Archduchess relished in the bonding moment.

"Just make sure you come back."

"I promise," Izetta responded after a moment, right when Finé let her go. "For the sake of protecting everyone."

The moment prompted more smiles from the 501st. This time it was Yoshika that felt the happiest, with Gertrude second. Things have changed so much for the White Witch, just like they did for the Karsland Witch. Since that incident days ago, including their visit with Gertrude's sister, they never felt this emotional before.

"Protect, huh?" The Psionic girl continued to contemplate that word. She had been thinking about it for days, even weeks, ever since the 501st commander told her that word. Even now, she had no idea what to do. She was to save the world, and that's all that mattered to her.

"One other thing," Minna gave a final warning. "There were also reports of the object being attacked by several airships nearby."

"Neuroi?"

Yoshika asked, which Minna denied by shaking her head.

"They say that the ships were blocky and metallic gray. They also shot what looked like conventional weapons, except far more advanced. They even fired what looked like rockets that homed in on their targets. The large object, on the other hand, fits the description better with its black colors and energy weapons."

Just then, someone else burst through the hangar door.

"Where's my Titania!?"

Kyoko's voice echoed throughout the building. He was breathing heavily, indicating that he's been searching around for a very long time. The Britannian Wing commander was oblivious as to who the man was, though the others were more surprised at his arrival.

"Kyoko-san?" Yoshika wondered what was going on.

"I can't find my Machina Unit. Where did you girls put it!?"

"What are you saying?" Finé questioned him as he approached the girls.

"That object," the boy went up to Commander Wilcke, who was the one to speak about it. "Were those flying gray airships attacking a large black submarine in the sky?"

"It wasn't exactly in the sky," Minna recalled. "But the reports said that it looked like a submarine, save for some additional deck guns and runways that ran inside the ship."

"Get to me to my Titania this instant!"

Kyoko rushed past the commander and around the 501st. He searched around the rear of the hangar, looking for doors or other large objects covered in black tarp.

"Why are you panicking like this?" Alice asked, followed by Yoshika.

"Kyoko-san, what wrong?"

"That mysterious object is the Black Iris!" Kyoko exclaimed. "The Black Iris is in danger!"

He rushed over what finally looked like the Titania. The Commander on eyed on him as he looked for a way to remove the tarp covering and get inside. He already left the guests stumped by appearing the first place, but now it seems like things were about to get more complicated than she had hoped.

* * *

 _The Black Iris will come up right at the start of the next chapter. A few weapons belonging to the Anti-Magic Faction, including a character I decided to throw in, will appear as well._

 _The introduction of Groman was a recent addition since should this be an actual game, one of Izetta's attack will require bomber support to use of her attacks (her torpedoes, that is)._

 _Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter._


	18. Episode 7-2

_Sorry for the wait, I ran into some issues in life and got caught up in another project. But now, I can finally work towards my original goal of getting this chapter finished up before writing anything else._

 _In the meantime, I'd like to announce a game project in the works regarding my magical girl-based Super Robot Wars projects. I'm starting with one of my earlier projects that includes only three series (Cardcaptor Sakura, Tokyo Mew Mew, and Sailor Moon Dark Kingdom Arc)._

 _However, I've also been collecting resources to do this series as well. This will have some changes compared to the original story such as including Minna early on and having her take care of the issue of the White Witch._

 _In any case, it's time to start finishing up this chapter._

* * *

Out in the North Sea, a massive black machine, enveloped by bronze and silver veins, hovered in the air. The design resembled a submarine, except it had four blocky vents that emitted gravity-defying forces and large fins that resembled a crescent moon. Behind the towering, crescent-shaped bridge were two turrets with three cannons each, runway sloping deep into the superstructure. Behind two small fins at the front was the logo of the machine: a circle with three spirals of silver, gold, and bronze; two wings of black and white sticking to the left and right with blue and red dots at the tips.

That was the same logo worn by the crew, who wore the emblem on their left breast. On their right breast was another emblem, a circle cut into thirds of black, blue, and green, surrounded by a white ring.

At the top of the bridge was a young woman with long, light blue hair. She stood by a podium with various buttons and screens. Despite being in her late teens, she served as the First Officer of this immense flying craft. She also served as the Chief Engineer and secretary for the commander of the ship. The young woman watched over a three-dimensional holographic image at the center of the bridge that displayed data inside and outside the machine.

"Ballistic missiles inbound," Maxine Stapleton reported. "Kurohana, activate the Bullet Globes to intercept them."

The sides and fins of the flying submarine featured twenty-four glass-like half-globes that emitted gold auras. Small shots of energy then burst from the spheres, aiming towards several dozen ballistic missiles.

Most of the missiles were not aiming towards their target, but there were so many of them that they could bombard the area. That was especially because each missile dispersed into several dozen smaller ordinance before impact. The Bullet Globes did their best to shoot down as many as possible. Many of the missiles outright missed the ship, but a significant number of them impacted the hull.

When the woman got a secure grip on the desk, she reported the damage to her commander.

"Hull breaches on Deck 4. Deploy Worker Drones to begin repairs."

"That attack isn't your normal bombardment," One of the non-standard crew members noticed. She bore red eyes and dark red twin tails that went down to her waist. Her uniform was a black gothic dress decorated with red frills. "Shouldn't they have gone straight for our bridge under these circumstances?"

"Either their guidance systems aren't working, or their aim got piss poor all of a sudden."

The response came from a woman in army green clothes and with a scar on her left cheek. A dark green wedge cap covered her long dark red hair. Her vest, with colors matching her cap, had two pockets by her breasts and a black belt strapped around her waist and right shoulder. She wore black boots and dark green leggings that went up to her knees. She carried a sidearm and a combat knife on her belt.

"Another wave incoming," Max called out as more signatures appeared on the holographic display. "Take evasive maneuvers while intercepting."

The black ship turned towards the volley of missiles that blindly cruised to its location. As the gold shots destroyed the main rockets, the smaller missiles broke out and did another bombardment of the area.

This one had slightly better luck as more hits reached the upper decks including the crescent-shaped top of the bridge.

"Where did that one hit now?"

"That one disabled the Mooncrest above," the first officer reported. "Theater Missile Tubes 1, 3, and 4 are offline. Bullet Globes 6 & 8 are damaged."

"Oi, oi! Won't they just stop firing on us already! Don't they even want to know where we are?"

The wail came from another girl that did not wear a military uniform. She had short white hair and blue eyes. She wore an elegant dress with a mixture of both colors. Compared to the more mature girl, she behaved more like a complaining child.

"Yelling isn't going to do anything, Lia," the gothic girl called to her. "It's already annoying that they attack us despite our situation. We just got moving again, and it was only bad luck to encounter the AMF first."

"Can we at least call for a truce or something? Do they even care that we're in another world?"

"They don't," the veteran military woman replied as she took out her sidearm. "Those metalheads would rather finish the job first, and then figure out that crap."

In contrast to her more professional attitude, she held back extreme stress from the situation. Ever since their ship, the Black Iris, got flown to this unknown location, she was as confused as everyone else. There were no satellites and very few electronic messages, all of them seemed to be broadcasts using technology from over a hundred years ago due to how easy it was to intercept them. Now, they have to continue fighting the AMF, who still thought about fighting them despite their situation.

"More bogeys detected," Maxine got new signatures on the screen. "The AMF must be attacking full force now. Airships and drones are approaching our position."

Maxine turned to the girls' superior on the ship. The commander was a bald man in his forties. His uniform was unique with prominent decorations on his shoulders and several colored ribbons pinned to his chest. He remained silent throughout the entire conversation.

"General, the AMF serious about finishing us off. Even if we get through this engagement, I cannot guarantee we won't have any casualties on our side."

"We still haven't heard anything about Officer Liu, haven't we?"

"Unfortunately, we have not. We don't even know if he came into this world with us."

"Of course he did!" Lia cried out. "He'll come to save us for sure! You'll see!"

"We've been searching for the Titania's signature ever since we got the sensors and communication systems back online. Even if they're not fully operational, our chances of finding Mr. Liu is low."

The General ignored the rattle and observed incoming hostiles. He stood up to issue orders, facing the woman in the army green military uniform.

"Commander Mio will take the twins and scramble. Intercept the enemy drones and provide anti-air support," he turned to his First Officer. "Lieutenant, turn the Black Iris towards the head of the enemy air fleet. If the enemy's tracking systems are inoperable in this area, we should limit possible damage to the bow and break their formation. Keep them away from the bridge and engine."

"Yes, sir! You can count on us!" Lia complied.

However, another array of signatures appeared on the screen.

"Hold on, we have new contacts heading towards our position," Max reported. "It's not…the AMF. They're magical signatures!"

"What?" Max's report raised one of Mio's eyebrows.

"Magical girls in this world?" Ria was also surprised.

"Analyzing data. So far, the database is not picking up anything. And…wait," Maxine called for a moment of silence as the analysis finished. "Identity confirmed on one of the signatures. It's Officer Liu's Titania."

That report altered other important members of the ships. Lia was the most excited as she boated in front of them.

"I told you that Kyoko-san would show up!"

"I'm more curious as to how he found us," Ria walked over to the holographic image. "And what's with all of those other magical signatures?"

"Maybe he brought friends along!"

"Lieutenant, can you confirm the IFF of the unknown signatures around the Titania?" The General ignored Lia's assumption as he ordered Maxine.

"Getting a visual now."

* * *

As the Black Iris continued to do battle against the approaching AMF forces, Kyoko cruised behind Izetta, who guided him through this world's ley lines. Behind him was Alice, the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, and the Halifax Bomber carrying the White Witch's new weapons. Commander Wilcke and Major Sakamoto flew behind the Titania as they followed the Machina Weapon. It wasn't long before Groman also got the sight of the ongoing battle.

"Commander, we have visual sight of the mysterious black vessel," the Britannian officer reported to the leading witches through the intercom. "It is currently in a battle against unknown forces."

Wilcke knew that the enemy would not be unknown for too long. As outlandish as it was, Kyoko gave the details long ago that the Black Iris came to this world along with the AMF forces that were most likely hostile. She had her intercom connected to the Titania ever since they took off.

"Mr. Liu, we are approaching the designated combat zone. Are you sure that we will find friendlies in the area?"

Kyoko didn't have to say "yes" or "no" to that question. He already had the screen on the Titania zoomed in on the flying submarine.

"It's the Black Iris alright, and it looks like they're already doing battle against the AMF forces. See them for yourself."

"I confirm seven enemy airships and at least thirty small aircraft nearby," Mio used her eye to zoom in on the hostile forces. The enemy airships were boxy with large pods on each side that had unusual propulsion systems and carried most of their weapons. Four of the ships fired what looked like huge rockets that angled towards the flying sub and then dispersed into several smaller rockets that bombarded the area. Three of them launched small flying wing aircraft as they patrolled the fleet, armed with more conventional weaponry, unlike the Neuroi. "You say that these are forces specialize in anti-magic weaponry?"

"Their weapons will tear through your shields if you fight them head-on. You'll have to rely on speed and keep your distance if you want to have a chance at fighting them. I'll deal with the brunt of the enemy force."

"Are you certain of your capability?" Minna questioned. "Izetta will not help you remain in the ley lines if you advance further. And if what you say is correct, that your Machina Unit is an irreplaceable weapon for your allies."

"I should have more than enough mana to keep me going a few minutes. I can just land on the deck to recharge if need be."

"Understood, you can proceed," the commander of the 501st confirmed as Kyoko went ahead. That last part where he could refuel by landing on the deck intrigued her for the moment, but she immediately switched to issuing orders. "Izetta, fall back to the Halifax as they collect the special ordinance. Barkhorn, Hartmann, follow my lead and back up the White Witch as she delivers her payload to the enemy fleet. Sakamoto, I'm leaving the rest to you."

As the Commander flew away with her team, the Major issued her orders to the rest of the unit.

"Litvyak, you provide support from the rear as Juutilainen provides support. Alice, accompany Izetta and the Commander as they engage the enemy ships. Lucchini will be with Jaeger, Miyafuji will be with Bishop, and Clostermann will follow my lead. Everyone, move!"

Upon confirmation, Izetta flew behind the 501st as the Halifax opened its underbelly. She flew under each of the torpedoes and touched them as the pilot disengaged the locks. The large weapons trailed behind her as her escorts accompanied her by the sides.

"The White Witch has obtained the special ordinance," Commander Wilcke reported to Groman through the radio. "Fall back to the rear and await observe for further instructions."

"Roger!"

Princess Fine watched Izetta take off with the rest of the girls to assist their allies. The guests beside her were just as bewildered as they witnessed the humanoid machine fly off against a completely alien threat. Now, they're about to see them in combat against an unknown hostile force that was neither Neuroi nor Germanian.

But that was also the deepest concern for the princess as it was for the nearby Murlock. The Neuroi were already an outlandish opponent thanks to their technology and weaponry. The new enemy force looked between them and the Germanians in terms of technology, but their use of anti-magic weaponry already marked them as incredibly dangerous opponents in their minds.

Fine could only pray for Izetta's safe return, but he noticed Tipler gazing through the window but not at Alice.

"Aren't you concerned about your friend, Tipler?"

"Yes, but I sense a more terrible phenomenon approaching."

"A terrible phenomenon?"

Fine wondered what those words meant.

 _Tipler said that he was from another world as well. Could it be…no, it can't be,_ Fine shook her head at the thought. _But if that were true, then Eylstadt's future is even more uncertain._

* * *

On the Black Iris, the major crew members were just as bewildered as they witnessed the visual data of the Titania's escorts, all of whom were unknown to them. However, unknown to the incoming force, they intercepted the messages that confirmed them as friendlies.

"Well, what do you know," Ria crossed her arms. "Not only did Kyoko find us, but he brought a bunch of friends with him."

"What's all those weird machines they're using on their legs?" the childish twin sister asked while looking away. "And why are they in underwear?"

"Can't handle fashion sense, can you?" Mio smirked at the young girl, who was both disgusted and amused at the sight.

"Visual data and signatures are similar to Machina Units," Maxine analyzed. "However, the designs are substandard compared to our arsenal."

"So this is what we got for reinforcements," Ria shook her head. "We've dealt with worse than this. Having extra hands is better than nothing."

"Indeed, and if they are Officer Liu's allies, we cannot neglect them," the General agreed. "We are proceeding as planned. Scramble and assist the allied force. Eliminate the enemy force before they can destroy the ship."

"Well, you heard him!" Mio shouted. "We may be thrown into some Wonderland here, but the mission's the same. Let's get out there and blast these crap buckets back to our home planet!"

"Yes, sir!" Lia said cheerfully as she followed the officer.

"On it!" Ria followed alongside her twin sister. The two of them held a small, thin, and white cylindrical crystal. As they went out to the top deck of the submarine, the trinket glowed bright white, triggering a transformation.

* * *

By the time the girls on the Black Iris took off, the 501st and the others already engaged the enemy force with Kyoko spearheading the assault.

A squadron of five flying wing aircraft already moved to intercept his Titania. From his knowledge, the Arahi military forces identified them as "Wingers," unmanned interceptor drones that also served as fodder in air-to-air combat.

As expected, they fired short-range AAMs from their underbellies as a first strike maneuver. For this reason, Kyoko took the lead, using his Titania as a decoy for the missile volley. He used his machine's inhuman agility to break the missiles' targeting system as they exploded in mid-air. He had to cut a missile and even block a few with his shield. But when the dust settled, his efforts were enough to reduce the threat of his new allies getting blasted a few seconds into the fight. They faced a highly advanced enemy from the future after all.

The rest of the 501st advanced forward by following Kyoko's example. Major Sakamoto went forward by charging towards a Winger. She dashed to the side as the unmanned drone fired rounds from its two guns; it came to shock that the shots traveled far faster than the usual machinegun rounds and left streaks of light that she could still feel in her hair. That was an indication that she had to be quicker than usual to avoid being cut to ribbons.

When she used her katana against the Winger, it came as another surprised. Although she was able to make a cut, she felt her arm snag suddenly, nearly tearing from her arm clean off. As the unmanned drone plunged to the water and exploded in mid-air, she could see that her katana suffered small fractures on the blade.

Minna's group suffered a similar ordeal as they engaged another squadron of Wingers. The machines were already far faster than the usual aircraft. They also appeared to use jet turbines for their propulsion system, something that was experimental in their timeline. Furthermore, they were incredibly agile despite having such powerful engines, making an Immelmann at faster speeds and with barely larger arc lengths than their standard aircraft.

Gertrud already had trouble engaging the craft because of their speed. She had to use her typical method of charging at the enemy drones, which was only restricted to when they came after her. When she projected a shield the enemy fire, her instincts immediately told her to back away as the gunfire tore through it like tissue paper. One shot grazed her by the hip, causing her to writhe while barely focusing on her target. She managed to get her assailant with her cannon before it passed by her.

Perrine had snapped out of her infatuated state when she fought another pair of Wingers. She had better luck as she used her electric abilities to disable the enemy craft, sending them into the ocean. She nearly got hit by a stream of gunfire, but as the Winger flew by her, she sensed her hair frizzling with electricity. The observation nearly distracted her from another stream of gunfire, forcing her to move away. A few bullets grazed her Striker Unit, causing it to cough up some exhaust and sending her spiraling for a few seconds. But the sensation was enough for Perrine to make a realization.

 _They're using mere electricity to fire munitions? How advanced are these people!?_

Lynette was busy firing at the enemy drones from afar. This was as easy of a job as fighting Neuroi since they were unmanned weapons compared to the Germanians. Yoshika supported her friend as they destroyed several drones. One Winger was lucky enough to launch a missile at them, prompting Bishop to guide her shot to destroy it.

Eila watched from afar as she and Sanya held back. She had problems with the enemy even though she wasn't even fighting at all. Her special ability as a Witch was clairvoyance, which allowed her to foresee enemy attacks before they happened. However, these ones were much harder to dodge. When she wanted to foresee the moves of the enemy drones, her vision turned out fuzzy; she couldn't get a clear view of their trajectory or even the line of fire. She had to rely on luck as rounds flew past her and Sanya, nearly tagging her by the thighs.

However, that was not the only worry Eila had. Just like Tipler back on the Halifax, she sensed another danger approaching them. Perhaps it was also due to the AMF's presence that she could not get a clear idea, but it was more than just Germania or the Neuroi suddenly entering the fight. No, it was something much bigger.

In the process, Alice remained close to Izetta as several Wingers pursued them. Alice had a much better time than the other girls thanks to her agility. She also used her fire abilities to destroy the missiles and drones, just she did for a couple of drones.

Izetta had a little more of an issue because of the torpedoes. Unlike the Witches' shield, her nearby swords and lances lasted much longer against the enemy weapon fire. She guessed that it was due to her using physical objects for protection rather than relying on magical shields. Nonetheless, the drones' guns depleted her of the swords, leaving only her explosive lances for protection.

"Now!" the White Witch called out as the drones stopped firing. Her weapons impaled and blew up three of the pursing drones, though another came on her tail. Two missiles fired from its underbelly, causing her to send two more swords to destroy them. She was later saved by the Titania craft, which destroyed the Wingers with its butterfly-like wings.

Minna observed the whole battlefield conditions from afar. It was already a few minutes into the battle, and even though they had support from the Titania, they could already see the disparity between their power.

 _Even though we're winning, the enemy's firepower and technology are incredible,_ Minna held a tighter grip on her gun. _There's no way we could win alone against this kind of might._

The enemy's abilities were both obvious and subtle, yet they were overall formidable. Even now, the AMF's weapons seemed to affect her powers as well, as if they were jamming her ability to sense the enemy. She had to rely on the naked eye or even Mio just obtain some kind of situational awareness. This is just a small battle group, too, and if Kyoko's words were true, this wasn't their best technology. She could not bear to imagine how they would face their true force as a worldwide military organization.

Her train of thought nearly caused her to miss an incoming Winger drone coming towards her. She was suddenly saved by another guest that entered the battlefield.

Ria took care of the nearby drones shortly after takeoff. Black, rigid armor protected her knees, shoulders, and elbows. She also sprouted two red, dragon-like wings of magical energy and emitted claws of similar energy from her fingertips.

"So you must be one of Kyoko's new friends," the gothic girl flew over to the Witch. "You came at the right time, that's for sure."

Minna found herself amazed by the girl's power. She took down the drones effortlessly compared to Mio from earlier, though the Major started to get better at tackling the enemy drones. She was also impressed by the girl's ability to fly without a Striker Unit, but that wasn't too surprising considering she was from the same world as Kyoko.

"Are you with Kyoko Liu? With the Black Iris?"

"Can't say that he's with us, but we're in the same boat either way. And who are you?"

"Commander Minna Dietlinde-Wilcke of the 501st," Minna addressed. "To whom am I speaking here?"

"Ria, Ria Ustez. And I'm here because of my sister, Lia."

At the same time, Lia came in her magical girl form. She sprouted bright white wings that emitted a blue aura and had a more elegant dress for her uniform. The cheerful girl flew over to the Titania and waved to the pilot.

"Lia, Ria, get your behinds back to the submarine to defend the ship!" the twins' officer barked. "You think we're here to have handshakes and hellos here!? That goes for you, too, Officer Liu!"

Even Minna felt disturbed by the shouting, which reached even the intercoms of the other Witches. That prompted Major Sakamoto also contact the girls.

"This is Major Sakamoto of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing. Are you from the Black Iris?"

"This is Lieutenant Maxine Stapleton of the Arahi Military Forces and First Officer of the Black Iris. You must be accomplices of Kyoko Liu."

"That's correct," Minna took over. "This is Commander Wilcke, leader of the 501st and the commanding officer in this area. Kyoko Liu told us about his affiliation with your group. We have no intention of hostility and will gladly assist you against the AMF."

"We appreciate your assistance," Maxine confirmed. "As you can see, several Frodo airships have launched a continuous bombardment against our vessel and several squadrons of Wingers for air support. Help us destroy those ships, and we'll do everything we can to assist you."

"Understood," Minna confirmed as she gave orders to her unit. "Izetta, we will proceed with the plan as Kyoko stated. We will provide support while you use the torpedoes to destroy the enemy ships attacking the Black Iris."

"R-Right!" Izetta confirmed.

"Sanya, Bishop, I need you to assist Izetta as well. When she runs out of torpedoes, we'll need you to help destroy the rest of the enemy fleet."

"Roger," they responded with different tones.

"Kyoko, are you still able to support us?"

"I'm not out of energy yet. I'll help distract the ships' anti-air fire while your Witch friends take them down."

"Glad to hear. Good luck out there."

As Kyoko nodded, so did the head of the Titania, prompting Lia to giggle.

"Let's go!" Lia went ahead first as she cruised towards the enemy Wingers. She emitted blades of white energy from her arms and charged as a streak of light, cutting down three Wingers in her path. Kyoko assisted her by firing her beams from the Titania's right hand, destroying another drone in his path. He took down another with his sword after stream of gunfire struck him by the leg, then made his return to the Black Iris.

On top of the deck, Commander Mio already took out many of the enemy drones. While the Bullet Globes provided some support, the military girl did most of the work. Actually, it was more of her weapons that did most of the work.

As part of her power, Mio has several heavy machine guns floating in midair with her power. Both of her hands gestured movements that made the guns aim and fire their weapons. It was already stressful to deal with the waves of drones and missiles and she was on the verge of tiring out. Kyoko helped take out several drones and missiles with her energy weapon and swords as he descended for more energy.

"It's about time you showed up," Mio commented. "Looks like you've been playing with your new friends a little too long."

"Sorry about the delay," Kyoko replied, a little annoyed by the girl's attitude. "I got caught up this world's business and a lot of things happened."

"You can save the discussion later. Right now, you need to get moving and take down those flying boats before they blow our ship to scrap!"

"Don't have to tell me twice," Kyoko grunted as he felt his mana reserve recharging. "Our new friends are already on it."

Meanwhile, Ria was already near one of the Frodo warships. The blocky ship launched two more Wingers to intercept her, but the gothic magical girl responded in kind. Like from a horror movie, she ejected a portion of her body, which quickly regenerated. The eject part then turned into a clone of herself and they each pursued one of the drones. They both used their speed and agility to outmaneuver the Wingers and cut them both at the same time.

When another pair of Wingers intercepted form another ship, they raised out their right hands. Concentrated blasts of red energy manifested in their palms before firing and in a synchronized fashion, they obliterated the flying machines.

Izetta remained startled, completely awestruck by the girl's abilities. Excluding the sludge part that nearly made her sick, she was startled by the newcomers' capabilities.

The White Witch returned to reality as more gunfire erupted. Four anti-air turrets, two on the top rear and two on the bottom front, turned to attack the magical girls. Ria and her clone disperse to separate the anti-air fire as they fired red blasts at the ship. Although they did not breach the airship's hull, they were enough for a distraction and at least damage the defense guns. Izetta nodded to herself as an opportunity to attack.

Inside the Frodo Assault Ship, soldiers with gray uniforms prepared to launch two more Wingers into the battle. They were completely off guard when Izetta flew into the hangar bay and observed her surroundings. The officers quickly drew their sidearms and opened fire on the Witch. One bullet nearly got her arm, and she was forced to use her lances for protection. She could even feel it harder to move the torpedoes as they barely kept afloat inside the ship.

Not taking any chances, Izetta called one of the torpedoes to ram into the center of the vessel. Unaware that she targeted the ship's engine, a large explosion occurred within the airship, sending the crew and docked drones flying to the ceilings. Izetta herself was pushed back, but she recovered enough to realize that the ship was falling. She hightailed through the door, feeling her energy recovering after making it outside, and escaped the falling and burning wreckage of the airship.

Lynette got lucky with one of her own shots. Unintentionally, she hit one of the Frodo's thrusters, causing it to push starboard into another vessel. The crew on a nearby Frodo tried to run as they collided with each other, causing the missile banks on the first one to detonate. Both ships exploded into a ball of fire, leaving the Britannian Witch dumbstruck before shaking her head.

Shirley and Francesca circled another airship. The Witch from Romagna was left in the dust as Shirley used her speed to match the drones' speed. Their agility was another story, but she got a few lucky shots with two drones by shooting their turbines up close. Now she distracted and disabled the enemy airships' CIWS. Francesca flew randomly to avoid all the shots from the bottom turrets and had to dive near the water for extra speed. One ship that had larger cannon turrets underneath nearly got her with its larger rounds, causing her to nearly plunge into the sea, but she recovered after a short period. Once she regained her flight, she found Sanya already took care of the enemy craft, firing her rockets on the missile banks above.

At the same time, Kyoko already cut down another Winger and approached the second-to-last airship. Alice already destroyed the ship's turrets, so Kyoko could easily smash the bridge and send it crashing down into the sea. Likewise, Izetta evaded the enemy gunfire after Ria's clone got torn to shreds as a decoy. One torpedo was shot down, but the last two made safely into the hangar doors

A tired Eila, who was already wounded by several cuts from gunshot wounds, witnessed the remaining Winger drones falling into the sea. Without their command vessels, the drones turned themselves off and became inoperable.

 _Thank the White Witch that's over…_

* * *

The guests on the Halifax roared over the performance of their new allies and enemies. They had no idea where they came from, and Fine and Tipler did not wish to mention it, but they were astounded by the victory from the 501st and White Witch. This is going to be a hot topic, even if it was to be confidential as of today.

"This looks like another mission accomplished by the White Witch," Groman called from the back. "What do you say, Princess?"

"It sure is," Fine replied after nodding. "I'm sure she'll be happy to see me when we-"

The princess was distracted after something startled the Murlock beside her. She could see Tipler writhing in fear, almost enough to attract attention.

"What is it, Tipler? What happened?"

"It's coming…They're coming…"

"Who's coming?"

"It's them. They're already here!"

* * *

Back at the battle zone, Minna was ready to wrap up the mission. With just about all AMF forces eliminated, they were ready to rejoin their outlandish allies back on their flying sub.

"This is Commander Wilcke," Minna contacted the Black Iris. "All hostiles are eliminated. We request permission to land."

After a few seconds, a dark male voice came through the intercom.

"This is General Ishida of the Arahi Military, Commander of the Black Iris. We understand you have no intention in engaging hostilities and are willing to negotiate. We request a designated location for refueling and resupply, and we can discuss matters in the process."

"I understand, General," Minna confirmed. "If you can secure a safe area, we shall land on the upper hull of your craft and happy to-"

"General!" Maxine's voice interrupted the intercom. "New contact detected!"

"What?" Minna jumped to the report, expect she saw nothing unusual.

"An unknown singularity is forming at our location! It's the same one as-"

Before the First Officer could finish, space in the sea stretched as a hole tore open in the sky. The hole formed a swirling tunnel as the nearby personnel covered their eyes.

Before they knew it, many unknown entities descended from the tunnel. Most of these unknown beings were grotesque airborne monsters. They looked like a crossbreed of hawks and wasps; the former for one set of wings and talons for legs, and the latter for its stinger tail, multiple limbs, and insect heads. The rest of them looked human, dressed in green and brown robes. They were dressed similar to priests or village chieftains from ancient times and had hoods covering their faces.

Only one of them was kind enough to show her face, revealing a dark-skinned woman with black hair tied to a braid. She had bracelets and necklaces made of wood, leaves, and shells. The jewelry and revealed face displayed her rank as the head of this expeditionary force.

Already, the girls could feel a terrible aura emitting from the group…No, it was more of like intense pressure crushing their hearts and souls. That alone demonstrated how powerful this group was in front of them.

"It appears that there was quite a commotion," the leader of the group hovered over the battlefield, witnessed the destruction. "Too bad that we could not have come much earlier."

"Another band of invaders, huh?" Alice smirked, unfazed by the new force's display. "Well, I got something to say about that."

"Alice, stay back," Tipler's voice cried out from the intercom. "That woman is after you, and those Hawkwasps were made to come after your friends."

"After me?" Alice then realized what he meant. "So this is them, huh?"

"I'm afraid so," the Murlock answered with regret.

"That hole was made from the future. And that woman and her followers are known as the Vilag."

* * *

 _So, there's the next part of the chapter._

 _In the meantime, here are the bios for the characters introduced._

* * *

 _ _ **Maxine Stapleton**__

Alias: Max, Maxy/Maxi, Electronic Fairy  
Birthday: July 19, 2040  
Age: 16  
Blood Type: AB  
Nationality: Arahi  
Rank: Lieutenant/Secretary (Arahi Military), First Officer/Chief Engineer (Black Iris)

Maxine Stapleton was originally born in a family that valued education over everything else. When they moved to the newly established island of Arahi, they sent her to the highly fortified elevator school of Floyd Academy. However, the pressure from her family and the school's regulations prevented her from engaging in many social activities and therefore, had very few friends. The immense stress on her life resulted in her becoming a magical girl to help break out of this isolated lifestyle. Shortly after her new life as a magical girl began, her parents were killed by a Destroyer, a corrupted magical girl made from impure desires. Since then, she had turned her attention away from social activities and used her time to hunt Destroyers that dwelled the island.

Initially, Maxine kept much info about magical girls and the AMF to herself. She hated Aya for getting into her personal life and only accompanied her group to pursue her own activities. After Floyd Academy is destroyed and its staff executed, she is forced to work with the group and learn more about Aya as a person. As she relies on her comrades, she improved her confidence, professionalism, selflessness, and welcomeness towards others.

When the AMF invaded Arahi, Max already enlisted into the military, serving the General as his secretary and one of his liaisons regarding magical girls. She assisted in the military's Black Iris Project and currently serves as its First Officer and Chief Engineer.

As a magical girl, her main weapon is a pen-like staff for casting spells, which usually involve a primary shape (triangle for offense, square for defense, and circle for status effects) and two alchemical triangles for elemental manipulation. Extra rules and symbols create a variety of additional effects. Powerful spells reasonably require more concentration, energy, and time to cast. Spells can be either aimed or drawn on the ground, drawn mentally or physically with the staff. To save time and spells, Max's staff also has a "save" option; whenever she creates a new spell, she can lock it with either the name and/or even an incantation upon casting. As the engineer of the team, she created many devices for her team, from standard communication devices to Black Iris and its Machina Units.

When she obtained her second transformation, dubbed Electronic Fairy, her magic system changes to mere circles with runes similar to programming code. Aside from expanding her list of spells in variety and power, she also gained hacking abilities, can project holographic images, and transfer information to her allies. She also no longer needs her staff to cast spells and can perform them more instantly compared to her first form. As a standard perk, she also gained a digitalized pair of wings resembling a blackbird, formed by 14 drones that assist her in battle. These drones also have a high-speed mode, combining into two large engines coupled with Maxine's acceleration spells.

* * *

 ** _General Ishida_**

Birthday: December 21, 2012  
Age: 44  
Blood Type: AB  
Nationality: Japan, Arahi  
Rank: Captain (initially), Colonel (before Arahi), General (After Arahi), Commander (Black Iris)

General Ishida was just an ordinary Captain in the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. After the Gunyawei Waves struck, his forces were the few units that remained intact and calmed the populace more effectively and without killing anybody, which promoted him far quicker than usual. At the end of the fallout and beginning of reconstruction, he already reached the rank of Colonel, but Arahi Island offered him to become General of its paramilitary forces. Even though it gave him fewer military troops to command, he took the position because he was concerned about protecting the refugees.

Of course, taking the job was never easy as he was tied up by the bureaucracy within the government. The increasing crime, gang violence, and chaos from the citizens did not help things either. Even he was no different as he funneled resources into various military projects. All that changed when Aya's magical girl activities became apparent. At first, he had them apprehended to soothe public opinion. However, the nasty actions of the AMF prompted him to establish deeper ties with the group, enlisting several key members into the military. With help from other magical girls who came to their aid, they rid the island of the AMF's influence and ran the island from there on out.

Even after the AMF invaded and reoccupied Arahi, he never stopped helping the magical girls considering his situation. By using the military projects he spent developing, including the Black Iris flagship, and contacts with international forces worldwide, he has become their best non-magical supporter. In addition, his experience told him first hand that as powerful and dangerous as they are, the girls are not political or military tools, nor test tubes in that matter. They are alive, human, and independent entities unclassifiable in any kind of system.

* * *

 ** _Lia and Ria Ustez_**

Birthday: May 22, 2042  
Age: 14  
Blood Type: AB  
Nationality: Arahi

Lia Ustez

Lia is the more cheerful and optimistic of the twins, even if she's not very bright. She had always cast her support for Aya ever since they first met. However, she's also known to be childish and an "innocent pervert," always sleeping on or smothering into other girls with large breasts.

As a magical girl, Lia's abilities focused on strength and endurance. Her attacks consisted of two arm blades and wide-arc energy blasts for crowd control and close quarters. She has abnormal toughness and strength and can grow at least twice her size. But while she's has regeneration capabilities, they and her speed are slow compared to her sister's.

In her second form, dubbed Tiger Priestess, Lia's strength and endurance have increased considerably. Her speed and regeneration ability increase far more, although it's still inferior to her twin sister's. Her arm blades can extend twice in length compared to those in her magical girl form. Her energy attacks are in the form of rapid-fire wife-area blasts - like an automatic shotgun or autocannon - and a single large beam. Finally, she is able to both grow or shrink ten times her normal size.

Ria Ustez

Ria is the more stern and bitter of the two girls. She had extreme reluctance to join Aya for her idealism and parallels to her twin sister, who was the favorite to their two mothers. Outside of such complex, she hates being alone and is far more mature and chaste than her air-headed twin sister, who calls her "Twinsis" to her annoyance.

As a magical girl, Ria focused on mobility and long-range support. She is faster, agile, and can regenerative much more quickly compared to her sister. However, she's also frail and her attacks are weaker. Instead, her energy attacks focus on small concentrated blasts and short claws from her fingers. Ria's unique feature is the ability to create duplicates of herself. Although they're incapable of regeneration, they are still useful as decoys or extra firepower. After enough practice can create up to three of these clones.

In the second form, dubbed Dragon Mistress, her speed and regeneration rate increase, but her endurance and power are even more so, although they are still inferior to her twin sister's. Her energy blasts can fire at a faster rate, her claws extend farther, and she can create up to nine clones. She can additionally charge shots with far more penetrating power and precision than Lia's energy beam to snipe single targets from a distance.

Overview

While the girls have their unique set of abilities, they still revolve around the same concepts: superhuman performance in a certain area (Lia's strength to Ria's speed), magical energy attacks in both melee and ranged form (Lia's arm blades and shotgun blasts to Ria's claws and concentrated shots), a growth type of power (Lia's growth in size to Ria's clones), and regeneration abilities. They can also combine to fire an energy cannon, dubbed Dual Shot by Lia.

Their magical girl transformation is different because their power is split between both girls as twins; to transform back, the girls must come into contact with each other and focus on each other's thoughts. Due to this and their regeneration abilities, they must be killed together, or rather the second must die before the first can revive.

In their second forms, they both gain flight and the ability to project Mana Barriers, enveloping shields made of magical energy. But their most important power is Dual Sync, a state where the twins synchronize each other's thoughts. Although they can not grow or create clones in this state, their speed, agility, power, endurance, and regeneration rate not only match each other but increase up to four times their initial performance. Although the effect weakens when they are far away, their new abilities more than compensate for it: a larger energy cannon and a type of Mana Barrier said to be capable of distorting spacetime.

* * *

 _ **Mio Sergeant**_

Alias: Sergeant Mio, Commander Mio  
Birthday: April 21, 2038  
Age: 18  
Blood Type: AB  
Rank: Commander (Arahi Military)

Mio came from a military family, which inspired her to become an officer like her father, even when he died following an incident. He worked for an organization in a nearby community that welcomed her, only to find out that was a cover training AMF personnel. After obtaining magical power, she massacred the AMF personnel within the community and escaped with her childhood friend, who went by the name "Private Mei." Since then, the two formed a duo and founded a resistance group with several other members on the island of Arahi. The group was minor and had little success until they discovered Aya's power and put her and several new recruits into a training regimen that made them a cooperative team despite their flaws.

Mio acts like the typical drill instructor during training. However, she deeply admires the idealism of typical magical girls, something she could never practice or follow. This shown in her training style as she deliberately makes herself an enemy of her recruits so that they can fix their insecurities and establish mutual trust and respect among each other. She also cares about them following their ideals and takes the helm when it comes to compromising decisions.

In contrast to the other magical girls, Mio is a Destroyer, a corrupted magical girl. However, the original of her power does not come from impure intentions, but rather her unfettered methods to complete a job. For that reason, she follows a different power system compared to her magical girl allies. She holds vast amounts of magical girl power that she uses to enhance her physical capabilities. She also carries a backpack with endless space that stores an arsenal of small arms and other equipment. She can make object hover in mid-air, but can only and aim and fire them in two separate directions. Furthermore, she has to make hand gestures of her pulling the trigger, which the variety of weapons she can use at a time. Outside of training, she is a very competent commander and an experienced soldier, knowing more about combat against the AMF more than anyone else in the resistance group. It's because of her experience that Aya leaves most of the planning to her. Upon enlisting the Arahi military, General Ishida appointed her as the Executive Officer for all its magical girl units as well as the drill instructor and commander of the complementary forces within the Black Iris.

* * *

 _I'll be sharing more data about the ULJA series soon, including the characters introduced. So expect more info dumps in the following parts._

 _Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter._


	19. Episode 7-3

_And now, for the Part I finale._

* * *

Alice barely kept herself in mid-air. The pressure was immense, and unlike anything she experienced. She expected the same kind of power from the rest of her allies, all of whom struggled to regain stability. Some of them already started plunging to the ground. The Halifax Bomber, which was incredibly distant from the battle as instructed, was lucky enough to avoid getting caught up in the fight.

It was the first time the Psionic girl experienced an enemy of this magnitude. Not even those large Neuroi ships, she fought alongside the 501st compared to this kind of power. She could already tell that the dark woman who entered the zone with her mutant creatures and hooded disciples was at a far different level.

Worse yet, this was the enemy who she was guided to confront, according to Tipler.

 _So, this is the threat that Princess Fine warned. The reason behind Alice and Tipler's support in the war effort._

Minna thought as she found herself face-first on a nearby island. She struggled to get a view of the new hostiles as their presence crushed her to the ground.

"Lieutenant, report!" Ishida called to Maxine in the Black Iris bridge.

"Massive gravity anomaly detected! We're receiving intense pressure along the upper hull! Our Gravity Drives can barely maintain our altitude!"

"This damn pressure," Mio cursed on top of the deck. All of her weapons that kept in mid-air were forced onto the hull of the ship and while the military officer kept a knee up. "I can barely stand with this kind of power!"

"Getting an analysis," Maxine held onto the console as she viewed the screens coming from the ship's computer. "General, it's the same kind of the singularity from the previous incident!"

"What?" the General raised an eyebrow. "Can you confirm this?"

"Kurohana match the fluctuation patterns match to exactly those from the one in our world. That singularity is a tunnel through time and space."

The General clicked as he barely kept hold. It was never anything they experienced before, and nothing they were trained to handle.

 _What the hell is this?_ Kyoko struggled with the controls on the Titania. _This is way different from that last battle. Is it happening again?_

 _This power is so overwhelming,_ Izetta was handling the danger better than most, but she was also struggling. She expected them to be a mighty opponent that was of another caliber, but this was too much for her to stand.

 _Alice-san…_

Yoshika held far better than the rest of her comrades, even when hold Lynette's hand to keep her from falling. She noticed Gertrude faring as good as she was and projecting a shield catch Erica. Yoshika focused more on the Psionic girl as the dangerous woman approached her friend.

Even then, Alice still tried to stand firm.

"Ah, it looks like we have already found you."

"Found me?" Alice twitched an eyelid.

"Do not play with us," the woman smirked. "We could already tell you possess the same powers that we do."

Alice managed to remain stable as the force started to recede.

"Though I apologize for the horrible reunion," the Vilag woman spoke. "I wished we could meet under better circumstances, but at least, this saves us the trouble of searching all over this planet for you."

"Searching for me?" Alice put up a straight face. "I was actually waiting for you to show up."

"That's enough of the bravado," the woman hovered closer. "However, your presence just made things a lot more convenient, and your presence far more welcoming."

"Welcoming?" Alice glared. "What are you talking about!?"

"We've been looking so long, nearly 12 years, to be precise. We failed our search in several different dimensions and parallel universes, all to be in vain. It's only recently that we were able to track you down."

"12 years?" Perrine exclaimed as she found herself blown away.

"Parallel universes?" Major Sakamoto did not know the term, but she had an idea. "Is this referring to what Kyoko mentioned?"

"Why are you searching for me!?" Alice rebuked. "I thought you were trying to invade this planet!?"

"Invade?" the leader woman gave a concerned look on her face. "And who told you that would be seen as invaders?"

"Tipler did. The Murlock from your time. He said that you were invading this world and entrusted to stop you from doing that!"

"I believe you're mistaken," the woman nodded in understanding the situation. "Our mission was never to invade other worlds. In actuality, our orders were to never interfere with the inhabitants as best we can."

"What?"

"But first, allow me to introduce myself," "My name is Zurich, an Instructor from the Educational Division.

"Aren't you supposed to be the Vilag?"

"Vilag…" Zurich pondered on the word. "It's been a while since I've heard that name."

"Well, that's what Tipler called you. He said that you are people who use crazy Psionic powers like I did and are trying to do something bad. Never thought you'd look like this."

"I noticed how much you've diverged from the regular curriculum," Zurich sighed at Alice glare. "How about, as a start, I explain why I was sent here rather than the Executioners."

"Executioners?" Lynette shook at the word, overhearing the conversation.

"If they were sent here, you would have been dead a long time ago. However, I insisted that I would go ahead, hoping to convince you instead."

"And why is that?" Alice smirked.

"Because I was supposed to be your teacher from our world."

"Your teacher?" Even though Zurich already explained her role as an Instructor, that caught Minna off guard.

"We will explain everything to you in the long run. However, that is only if you cooperate with us."

"State your demands," Commander Wilcke flew in between the two Psionic users. After Zurich lowered the pressure in the area, the Witch Commander regained her strength and listened in on the conversation. Alice may not be a soldier, but she was still under her care like Izetta.

"And who would you be?" the Witch caught the older Psionic woman's attention.

"I am Commander Wilcke of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing and Alice's superior officer. If you wish for us to cooperate, we must hear your demands first."

"I see, then allow me to be brief," the woman agreed. "We have only two demands here. The first is allowing us to return home with the Psionic girl before you."

"And the other?"

"The retrieval of that Murlock she mentioned," Zurich faced Alice again. "Our laws strictly enforce that no entities from our world should ever interfere with other universes, especially those within the past. Therefore, the Council demands that both must be retrieved before any further damage ensues."

"Then how about this," Alice stepped in, "What will you do after I decide to come to your world?"

"Unfortunately, that's for the Council to decide. Chances are we will have you sent the schools anyway, but not after a long period of re-education in our facilities."

"Re-education," Minna did not like the source of that word.

"And Tipler?" Alice demanded.

"He will face a trial for the crime of tampering with parallel universes and their timelines. If he still refuses to bow before us, he will suffer torture he can't possibly imagine. On the bright side, the consequences are a lot less severe than that."

"As if I'm ever doing to do that," Alice retaliated by taking her powers to the max, attempting to release incredible forces like Zurich did a while ago. The Instructor was less than impressed but nonetheless intrigued.

"I see your powers grew considerably despite a lack of proper training," Zurich stated kindly. "This may be problematic upon your return."

"And what wrong with training at my own pace!?" Alice exclaimed.

"The Council has strict laws regarding how much power one of us can wield. If your powers grow too much, we may have to eliminate you before something devastating happens."

"Too much?" Alice nearly chuckled. If she really had more power, should that be a good thing for her?

"I'm sorry, but we cannot comply with your demands," Minna addressed firmly in front of the Psionic girl.

"Excuse me?"

"Basically, you're suggesting that Alice's fate is either brainwashing or execution, and you have something worse prepared for her friend," Minna pointed out. She could feel her body shaking over such incredible power the Vilag girl reserved, but that didn't stop her from stating facts. "As the military commander put in charge of her protection, I can allow her to suffer such a fate."

"As I suspected," the Psionic woman started releasing more power. "With how much time it took for us to find this woman, it would only be natural for her to be accustomed to this world's customs. Therefore, a confrontation was sure to come."

"If you knew that already, then why not finish us already?"

"We have our reasons. And it's our custom not to kill. Even your affiliates here won't suffer death under my authority. At least, by my hands."

"No," Alice powered up to face her assailant while also looking at the mutant monsters Tipler dubbed "Hawkwasps." "But your little pets might, and you sure will give them a world of pain."

"It's inevitable," Zurich unleashed a shockwave around her. "Hawkwasps and Hunterbeasts were made to kill those who did not meet the Council's standards at a young age. Even humans from a parallel world are nothing but food to them."

By the time Zurich finished her statement, one of the mutant creatures already engaged in battle with Sakamoto. With incredible strength, it shattered her blade with its stinger and stabbed her arm. The older Witch found herself paralyzed throughout her body as she slowly descended.

"I've had enough of this," Alice snapped as fire erupted from her hands. "I care what you have in store for Tipler and me! You're going down!"

As the Psionic girl declared, she rocketed towards the Instructors, her gauntlets already blazing with incredible heat. Zurich raised her palm and projected increasing forces at the adept girl. Both Alice and Minna were blown away before Alice found herself paralyzed. The incredible energy froze her in place as the Zurich retrained her movements.

A flash behind Alice prompted the Instructor to let go, barely dodging the shot as it nearly homed in on her. The attack came from Lynette, who regained her balance and stood by Yoshika.

"Alice-san!" Yoshika called out as she fired a burst of ammunition at the Vilag woman. Zurich retaliated with a pressure field that slowed the bullet's movements to a standstill. However, Izetta flew

"Everyone now!" Izetta called several more explosive lances. Likewise, Zurich forced the lances to halt, but she did not expect them to explode in mid-air and spread smoke. Before she could use her power to blow clear the skies, Izetta fired a round from her cannon, grazing her by the hip.

Zurich ignored the pain by projecting another field towards Izetta. However, Yoshika stepped in with her Shield, mitigating most of the force before it collapsed. The Instructor then released another invisible blast to blow everyone in the vicinity. Although her opponents were knocked back, the attack took a toll on her as she groaned from the wound on her hip.

"Instructor," one of her disciples flew over to check on her condition.

"Leave me be," she ordered her student. "You and the others maintain the singularity and keep it open until I return with the girl and the Murlock."

"But, Instructor, you're bleeding!"

"That is an order," Zurich stood firm again. "Besides, it's my responsibility to bring them back alive. This issue concerns me alone."

"I-I understand, Instructor," her disciple then flew off with the others. They together used their powers to maintain the singularity while the Hawkwasps and other girls did battle elsewhere.

Eila fired upon one of the Hawkwasps that pursue her and Sanya. The bullets deflected from the creature's hides to her shock as it retaliated with its sharp feathers at her. Unlike the AMF weapons that disrupted her clairvoyance, she could predict these shots, but she projects a shield due to a large number of flechettes thrown at her. As Eila's barrier shattered, Sanya fired her rocket launcher, but the Hawkwasp easily evaded her shots. Eila fired another volley at the creature, all bouncing off its hides as it swooped in for another attack.

However, it was cut down by the Titania's sword before it could get another volley off. After regaining stability, he went after the nearest Hawkwasp he could.

 _I don't know what this whole business is about these Vilag and such._ Kyoko overheard the entire conversation like the rest of the unit, and even he could not understand what was going on. He expected those on the Black Iris to be the same. _But at least I know how we got dragged into this situation._

As on cue, there was already a discussion aboard the Black Iris as its Bullet Globes retaliated against the mutant creatures.

"Parallel universes," Maxine lamented. "So we've been all thrown into an alternate universe thanks to the singularity and these Vilag beings."

"The question is," the General remained calm on his seat. "Why would these beings come to our world before arriving at this one?"

"I cannot explain it myself," Maxine shook her head. "What do you think, Commander Mio?"

"The hell I know!" the military girl retaliated from the deck. "All I know is that they just sent these bird bugs to kill us, and they sure aren't going to leave behind any survivors!"

"We are aware of that," the General confirmed. "Proceed with defensive operations and keep them from destroying the ship or killing any of the locals in the area."

"Roger on that one," the commander complied as she spotted someone descending onto the deck.

Major Sakamoto made a crash landing on the black vessel. Even when using her broken katana as leverage, she could find strength weakening due to the creature's venom. The pursuing Hawkwasp landed by her location, getting a clear view of its prey before advancing. To the Major's surprise, she was saved by a stream of bullets impacting the creature's hides. The Hawkwasp shook its head as Mio with a machinegun. She then fired four MANPADS levitating in mid-air. The beast tried to fly off, throwing several of its feathers to destroy some of the missiles, but two made it threw and blasted it into pieces.

Major Sakamoto turned to her savior, who was none other than Commander Mio, who gave a smirk before returning to the fight.

Likewise, the Ustez twins had their own share of trouble but held out better. Lia used her arm blades to block the Hawkwasp's stinger before cutting off its legs and wings. She finished it by impaling the torso before tossing the dying creature into the sea. Ria blocked the stingers with her claws and then split two clones from her body. As both copies got impaled by the stingers, they fired concentrated blasts onto their heads before being reduced to black sludge and then to nothingness. The original Ria finished the job by cutting their heads off.

The black-haired twin focused on her sister, who locked her blades with another Hawkwasp's stinger. After Lia knocked it back with her energy blast, Ria came in pierced its hides with her claws and shredded its upper body apart.

Besides them, Gertrude engaged another Hawkwasp, deflecting the feathers and charging headfirst as usual. She used her heavy weapons to block the stinger as they engage in close combat. The two were equal in strength thanks to Gertrud's magic, but the Hawkwasp started getting the upper hand over her. Right after the monsters knocked her back with enough force, the Witch fired her cannon. Although the shot obliterating its stinger, the dying Hawkwasp still went after her with ear-splitting screeches. It tackled her with its insect mouth trying to eat her only to be blasted in the head by Ria.

Erica and Perrine were also locked in battle against another Hawkwasp, using their wind and electric powers respectively to attack the creature. Not much progress was made for either of them. It reacted with feathers against Erica when she barrel-rolled around the winged beast with her wind magic. Perrine's Tonnerre didn't do much either, the hides seemingly insulating the creature from electric attacks. They were saved by Gertrude and Ria, who both had the idea of saving the two as they fired their cannons and energy shots.

"Trude!" Erica called to her idol as they flew together.

"Nice one, Twinsis!" Lia also complemented her uninterested sister.

"Save the compliments for later," Ria turned her attention to the other battles going on. "I have no idea what the whole story is, but I definitely want answers here."

"You're members of the Black Iris?" Gertrude responded. "Friends of Kyoko Liu?"

"We're not friends with him," Ria responded. "But he's helped us. Can't say he's our enemy."

A flash from the ongoing battles elsewhere got their attention, especially the continuing conflict between Zurich and several of their friends.

"Either way, we should take these things down before we get into a discussion."

Gertrude nodded as she ordered.

"Hartmann, Clostermann, on my lead!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

As Gertrude's squadron took flight, Shirley and Francesca engaged two Hawkwasps elsewhere. Shirley attempted to use her speed to outrun the monsters. But as she turned to fire her weapon, she found the insect-avid hybrid closing in.

 _So these things aren't just tough, they're fast, too,_ Shirley smirked as she caught the sight of her partner.

"Shirley, I need a little help here!" Lucchini had more trouble with her enemy. She already used her unique power of discharging a shot of intense heat on the creature. After it resisted the attack, it swopped in and nearly struck her with its talon-like legs.

"Lucchini, get ready!" Shirley said she snagged the surprised Witch by the arm. After first, it was painful due to the burn and stretched muscles, but she calmed down a moment as she focused on their enemy. Knowing this move, the Flying Officer concentrated her energy more.

"HYYYAAAHHH!" As Shirley tossed her at one of the creatures, Francesca tore through its flesh with her power. Her eyes were closed as blood splattered all over her body, and the remains fell around her.

The other Hawkwasp targeted the idol Shirley, but a flash of white light came in and cut it into many pieces. Lia turned around to greet the Liberion Witch.

"Lia Ustez, here to the rescue!" she greeted. "Just dropping by."

"Pretty good right here," Shirley replied.

"Thank you very much, onee-sama!"

"Onee-sama, eh?" Shirley raised an eyebrow over the honorific. Did this girl, Lia, if she remembered, have a non-Japanese name? Then again, there's the story about the Arahi having a mixture of different nationalities. But there was also the issue of her getting distracted by Shirley's baggage, which prompted her to smirk and glare.

During the pause, Ria's team joined the fight against the Vilag commander. Alice had recently thrown several sparks of flame, all of which got deflected. Zurich then knocked back several swords Izetta threw before avoiding a stream of bullets from Yoshika. Ria then clashed the Psionic woman, who responded with her gravity-like attack and fired another burst of force that punched her towards the sea. Gertrude, Erica, and Perrine followed suit with several rounds aimed toward her. The Instructor deflected their shots with her powers, prompting them to use shields against hers.

Kyoko burst below her used the Titania's sword against her. Just when he thought he had her, Zurich clasped the sword with her bare hands.

"What!?" the boy exclaimed as she sent the Titania flying. While he struggled to regain control, he fired his cannon, which engulfed the Instructor. Even then, it only grazed her clothing.

As the battle continued, the chaos on the Halifax bomber continued as they got shots with their cameras. Fine remained silent on the entire fight, even though she should be alarmed about this new opponent, especially after everything she learned. Visitors from another world, who wanted Alice and her Murlock captured and brought for execution. Even she could feel the weight of the battle, which was more of the reason why she remained silent.

Furthermore, there was the issue of Tipler being aware of the Vilag's objective. The Vilag's statements contradicted what the Murlock told her, but he didn't sound like he was lying. Perhaps he was also kept in the dark about the meaning behind Alice's existence in this world.

However, the Murlock started shaking once more.

"What is it, Tipler? More Vilag?"

Tipler shook his head.

"No, something else is coming!"

During that point, Alice continued her fistfight with Zurich, who countered quickly. Even when Lia charged in, Zurich let her pass and kicked her from behind, sending straight into Shirley. She did the same Francisca by knocking her back along with them. She then grabbed Alice after she took advantage of the distraction, twisted her arm, and pushed her back with her force powers.

"Enough!" Zurich shouted in a threatening tone. She released an explosive shockwave that sent everyone in the vicinity flying. Yoshika collided with Lynette, and Minna was the only one who kept her balance. Zurich then restrained Alice once again.

"As a teacher, it is my responsibility to not endanger my students, but only if you cut this misbehavior."

"Since when was I your student!" Alice retaliated.

"That's right," Yoshika regained her balance. "We won't let you take away Alice-san. She is our friend!"

"She won't join you just because you tell her to," Lynette joined her friend.

"You're no position to speak," Zurich forced both Witches to the ground before increasing the force on Alice's throat, barely leaving enough room for her to breathe. "You have not only caused trouble for the Council and me, but you also caused much for your sister."

 _Sister?_ Alice thought as she couldn't speak the word.

"It's time we get going. It's a shame you had to leave your past behind. Believe me, I never wanted this either."

"Alice, no!" Izetta struggled to move but found the force too strong.

"Now, all that's left is to find the Murlock, then our mission will be-"

 _"501st Joint Fighter Wing, do you read?"_ Maxine's voice cracked in the intercom, causing Zurich to stop. _"Officer Liu, Ria, Lia, you need to hear this, too."_

"What is it?" Minna was the first and only person able to respond.

"Another enemy signature has appeared," Max reported from the ship. "Sensors depict it as an AMF vehicle!"

 _"What type is it?"_ Commander Mio entered the intercom.

Maxine was reluctant to answer, but she responded anyway.

"We believe it's the same Special Weapon that attacked us earlier, and it has arrived in this parallel universe."

The confused natives of this alternate world heard a click from Mio. Kyoko and the twins were hesitant to respond but knew precisely the danger that approached them.

"That thing doesn't know when to give up!" Lia exclaimed.

"Don't be surprised," Ria responded. "If the AMF were here, we should have expected it to show up at some point.

"Why now of all times?" Kyoko said to himself as his Titania recovered.

It wasn't long before everyone got a visual of the enemy weapon. It was a humanoid machine just like the Titania, but it has the same metallic gray colors as any AMF weapon. This one looked more feminine in appearance and had no insect-like features. Instead, there were two sets of lower wings and what looked like two pairs of extra limbs on its back, each with a thruster and storage for swords and other long weapons. On the thighs and arms were multiple handheld weapons, all holstered onto beartrap-like mechanisms. Finally, the shoulders and both sets of lower wings had circular covers; Minna could even sense strong anti-magic forces emitted within them.

Worse yet, not only was it heading straight for the Black Iris, but everyone else was in its path, including the Halifax.

"What is that?" Fine asked as she observed the machine as it stopped.

Tipler didn't know what it was either, just that was a dangerous machine with abnormal capabilities. His fears were right as the machine's extra limbs to the front, and the covers opened up to reveal six anti-magic-emitting charged up.

"High energy response detected," Maxine reported. "It's going to fire its special weapon towards our position!"

"But everyone's in the way," Kyoko exclaimed. "That thing's going to kill the other girls and everyone on that plane!"

"Can we evade?" Ishida asked his Lieutenant.

"Our engines are still in poor condition. The singularity and those Vilag are not helping things either."

"Princess!" Izetta shouted as she moved forward.

"Groman, evade that cannon!" Fine called out through the crowd, prompting the pilot to turn away.

However, the Black Iris was still in the way.

"Twinsis, let's do that!"

Of all people, Lia acted as if she knew what she did.

"Are you crazy!" Ria retorted. "Just because it happened before doesn't mean we can do it again!"

"Do you really want everyone to die!? Let's do it together!"

 _"Wait, Lia!"_ Maxine called out through the intercom but was left with no response.

"Agghh, damn it all!" Ria cursed as she followed.

"Lia, Ria, what are you-"

Before Kyoko finished, the AMF weapon fired special weapon, a cannon with the emitters, lower wings, and extra limbs converged onto its chest. As the twins came together, space twisted in the weapon's line of fire, and the area became distorted once again.

* * *

Further down south was another unusual aircraft. It had the form of a flying wing, moved as fast as a fighter jet, and had long fins resembling legs near the engines. The machine had two Vulcan guns below the nose and two separate compartments for secondary weapons on the underbelly. The cockpit was also bulkier than usual, which meant more drag than the conventional fighter plane.

Inside the seat was a bearded man in his late thirties. Although his uniform was right for a pilot, the colors marked him as a special forces officer. His suit designated him as a member of the International Peacekeeping Forces, but his decorations still showed his devotion to his original country, namely the stitched ribbon from the Mista'avrim and Isreali Air Force.

For the past couple of days, Squadron Leader Davi Masada found himself in the middle of the North Sea. He participated in the previous engagement against the Black Iris, the flagship of the remaining Arahi forces that was labeled a terrorist faction in his world, so he was thrown into the same situation as everyone else from that battle. However, only he appeared to have the brains in getting a hold of a situation.

 _What the hell are those men from the AMF thinking?_ The Squadron Leader thought to himself. He was well aware of the AMF's existence ever since the girl Aya Masayoshi went public about the magical girls and their war against the secret organization. Despite being on the wrong side, he empathized with her cause, even slightly more than the IPF or his home country. The current situation with the girls being marked as enemies of the world and taking away their claimed home of Arahi was nothing more than a sham. It was all a smear campaign for making a scapegoat so that the powers-that-be could keep the "peace" in their world, whether it be the dominant power blocs or the AMF forces that ruled behind them. He only feared the consequences that the alternative might bring, especially what he feared would happen in his country, which is why he ended up in this mess.

He could tell that the world he was in did not belong to his time. Fair enough, he spent most of the two days setting up camp on an island since he prioritized survival. His radio eventually received transmissions from AMF ships, but his transmitter was broken, prompting him to fix it. The last thing he heard was them talking about the Black Iris vessel being spotted and prioritizing its destruction over figuring out their position.

 _We've been stuck in this place for more than two days,_ the man cursed. _Now is not the time to continue fighting like this._

If he was their commander, calling for a ceasefire and making use of their resources to figure what world or timeline would have been his first order. But he was a Squadron Leader, and the AMF apparently followed a different chain-of-command and doctrine. All he could do was figure out the situation himself and get help.

Hope started to come when he spotted a large squadron of military force in the distance. He could not identify the make of the machines, but they were definitely a combined force of air and naval units, both lead by a large bomber and aircraft carrier. With no time to waste, he reached for his radio.

Unknown to him was the sizeable Germanian force dispatched to the North Sea by the suggestion of Major Berkman and the Kaiser himself. The Major and his companion took off in the Amerika bomber while Bassler continued to serve as an escort launched from the Drachenfels.

Within the giant aircraft, one of the officers reported the leading officer.

"Major, we're receiving a transmission from an unknown source."

"Can you identify the party?"

"No, Major. But appears to be an emergency distress call."

"Well then, allow us to have a listen."

As ordered, the officer put the transmission on the speaker.

 _"This is Squadron Leader Davi Masada of the International Peacekeeping Forces to any military units in the area. I have lost contact with my unit and am currently stranded in an unknown area. I repeat, I am stranded and have no means to contact my unit. If anyone can reach me, please respond!"_

The transmission startled even the Major, though they at least identified one of the unknown groups in the area.

"Major, what do you think we should do?"

Rickert wasn't sure what to make of the transmission for he had never heard of an International Peacekeeping Force. It could be a trick, but the voice sounded too desperate for that, and they faced an unknown entity overall. Unless the unknown force was working together as a cohesive force, which was reported as two factions fighting each other, there was no reason for them to believe that this was a setup.

"Respond to the distress signal," the Major responded. "Once he lands, we shall interrogate him for further information."

"Interrogation?"

"We need every bit of detail we can get about this unknown entity," Berkman stepped on another cigarette. "If we want to get a grip on the situation, we should squeeze out whatever information we can get from the man."

"I know, Major, but isn't that-"

Rickert was interrupted as he and the Major were sent flying into the ceiling of the craft. It took more than ten seconds for the Special Unit officers to stand up as the aircraft shook violently.

"W-What is that!?"

Rickert stared through the window in what looked like a massive tunnel of light. It appeared right near Masada's aircraft, which was the first to get pulled in.

"It's happening again!? DAAGGGHHH-" Masada's voice was cut as the singularity sucked him into the temporal wormhole

Bassler had similar problems with his aircraft. Like the Amerika bomber before him, he lost control of his plane. Since his aircraft was smaller and lighter, strong forces like this one toss him around like a ragdoll.

"Come on, move! Move dammit!" Bassler tugged on the control stick to no avail. He could only curse as his squadron and the rest of the Germanian force got pulled in with him.

"Major, do you know what's going on?" Rickert noticed the dissonant smile from his superior officer.

"I believe we're starting to discover the truth, that's all."

The Major remained smiling as the Amerika flew into the tunnel of light. It wasn't long before the Drachenfels, and the remaining Germanian vessels and aircraft were pulled into the singularity.

* * *

Things were not better by the Black Iris. On the one hand, the erupting singularity broke Alice free from the Instructor's grasp. On the other hand, it started pulling everyone else in the area.

"Massive singularity detected!" Maxine reported. "It's dragging us all in!"

"Can we escape its pull?"

"Our engines are too damaged to reach escape velocity. We're being pulled in!"

On the deck of the ship, Commander Mio used her knife to hold onto the vessel with the Major Mio in tow. Even though she was a stranger, she wasn't going to let the Witch fall to her death.

"The Black Iris!" Unlike the other girls, Kyoko flew straight towards the singularity as it pulled the flagship. No matter what era he was in, the flagship was his only way of getting home along with the girls.

"Kyoko-san!" Yoshika called out just before she felt strong forces tugging her. She, too, was pulled into the temporal entity.

"Yoshika-chan!" Lynette ended up following her friend, being dragged along with her.

"Trude!" Erica did the same with what happened with Lieutenant Barkhorn despite her strength.

"Shirley!" Francesca ended up calling her name as she lost control and joined the others.

Along with the Ustez twins who protected them, the Halifax bomber spun out of control, moving towards the singularity like everyone else. The Archduchess held on to her seat like most of the other guests. Tipler hid under her legs for stability. Fine could see her friend calling to her as they flew towards the Black Iris. Perhaps this was cruel fate that awaited them.

Right when the Black Iris contacted the singularity, the bright flash of light blinded the remaining Witches. Minna was one of the few who escaped the pull along with several others. But there was nothing they could do without getting caught in the distortion. She remained firm until the light faded, and the distortion was over.

Zurich already disappeared from the area along with her Vilag followers, escaping right before the AMF machine fired its weapon. It was safe to say that she did not leave with Alice nor Tipler and only escaped out of desperation.

The strange machine responsible also vanished from the area. With the incredible power it wielded, it could have finished the remaining Witches off. But since it was nowhere to be seen, it either fled from the battlefield or went elsewhere.

However, the girls could barely bear what just happened. Shirley remained quiet just like the Commander, except she additionally gripped her gun. Eila and Sanya were the same as if they saw friends disappear right before them.

Perrine was left stuttering, unable to contain the shock of what happened. Just by getting a glimpse of her idol vanishing before her, she quickly broke down.

"SAKAMOTO-SAN!"

* * *

"So, the task force sent to investigate the unknown entity has disappeared."

Kaiser Otto received the news the day later once news of the incident reached Neue Berlin. He relied on the Special Unit to investigate the strange activity within the North Sea. The fact that the entire Germanian unit disappeared along with the unknown force amused him.

"The Allied forces appear to have suffered heavy losses as well," Elliot reported by his side. "Over half of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing defending the Britannian Isles has vanished. We believe the Archduchess of Eylstadt is missing as well."

"Along with the White Witch," the Kaiser added before engaging in laughter. "This has become quite an unusual turn of events. It's almost spectacular, in my opinion."

"Your Excellency, if I may suggest, we shall make use of the time to postpone our campaign against the Britannian Isles due to the lack of military strength. And with the White Witch apparently missing in action, it marks the opportunity to resume operations against Eylstadt."

"You're right," the Kaiser agreed, but on one condition. "We shall hold off on the invasion for now. However, we shall not re-invade Eylstadt just yet. Not until we've confirmed what Major Berkman stated earlier, about the secret of the White Witch."

"Our spies are still continuing to investigate. However, the real concern is the importance of the White Witch among the clans and their opinion towards the White Witch."

"That shall not be of grave concern," the Kaiser said, assured of his Empire stance. "Not when the power of the legend is already in our hands."

For the rarest of moments, the Kaiser stood from his seat. His advisor followed by his side as they walked down the steps and toward a coffin, much like the one that they used to capture Izetta weeks ago.

"She will return, I'm sure of it," the Kaiser tubbed the fog on the coffin, revealing a sleeping woman with silver hair. "And when she does, it'll be time to begin our new plan. One that will change the course of the war, and human history, forever."

"As you say, Your Excellency."

The advisor bowed as the Kaiser laughed throughout the throne room once again.

* * *

 _And that concludes the first part.  
_

 _Before finishing up, here's another bio for the ULJA cast._

* * *

 _ **Davi Masada**_

Birthday: December 11, 2019  
Age: 36  
Blood Type: O  
Nationality: Israel  
Rank: Rav Seren/Rosh Tayeset (Major/Squadron Leader)

Masada's family and its relationship with his country have been strong since its founding, starting with his great grandfather, who was a young survivor of the Holocaust during World War II. He stayed in the military after his mandatory conscription and participated in many missions: several internationally, at least two engagements with hostile air forces, and one in the Gaza Strip.

Masada does not believe in the propaganda the AMF brings and understands well what magical girls desire, a small nation to call home yet possessing enough military influence to protect communities worldwide. His only reason for fighting them is the threat they bring to the balance of power that could spell total calamity without proper countermeasures. Therefore, he's determined to show that magical girls and their creations can be defeated by conventional weapons and modern warfare tactics.

As a Squadron Leader in the IAF and Major in the Mista'avrim counter-terrorist units - both ranks carried over in his enlistment into the International Peacekeeping Forces - Masada is an experienced ace pilot, interrogation specialist, front line commander, and a counter-terrorism operations expert. As commander, he can easily analyze the weaknesses of his opponent and is quick to adapt, even if it requires extreme improvision. On foot, his weapons of choice are similar to the Glock 18, UZI, Tavor, and SIG-Sauer P229. He also has experience in operating numerous types of aircraft including a Harrier Jump Jet, which is why one of the AMF Inner Circle leaders worked their way to provide him a Transforming Aircraft-Bipedal Walker with SVTOL capability. This machine, dubbed the "Mantis" by the magical girls, is armed with two bayoneted Vulcan guns, eight hardpoints for secondary weapons on two separate underbellies. It also contains two pods for either rockets or MANPADS, which are only deployed in its ground form, mounted on its shoulders.

* * *

 _I'll do an intermission and maybe a few more chapters after this. But now that this is done, I'll get to some other projects._

 _Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter._


	20. Intermission 1

_Well, as I warned, I have made an intermission introducing the second part of Magical Girl Convergence._

 _Behold, the start of Part 2._

 _Tracks Used:_

 _1._ _ **Keisei furu – BUDDY COMPLEX OST**_

 _2._ _ **Keihou ga naru - BUDDY COMPLEX OST**_

 _3. **Time Leap _\- BUDDY COMPLEX OST_**_

* * *

...

2014 AD

...

* * *

The sun rose high above the city of Uminari City. The bustling streets had cars lined up and waves of people coming for lunch. The time meant a particular store was about to get many customers.

A few customers were known to the place. But they were totally unexpected since a couple of them were people that the owners haven't seen in years, one of them being their young daughter.

"I'm back, Mama!"

A woman with long brown hair tied to a ponytail. She was accompanied by several other people who wore similar casual attire on Earth. The youngest guests were two young kids with red and pink hair respectively. Two older accomplices were one with short purple hair and another with long brown hair tied into twin tails. The next oldest guests were one with pink hair in a similar ponytail and a short one with red hair, which one could mistake as a kid. The last was had longer blonde hair and mahogany eyes, a woman who was often close to the daughter of this store.

"Oh, welcome back," the girl's father greeted his child.

"N-Nanoha-san!" the mother called their daughter's name from behind the counter. "I'm so glad to see you again. Is there something wrong?"

"Just the usual work," Nanoha Takamachi responded. "Is Lindy Harlaown here?"

"Of course, she just took a seat right over there," Momoko pointed over to a woman with long cyan hair and markings on her forehead, who sat by several empty tables. "She requested those seats to be reserved. We weren't sure if it was specifically for you and the others."

After nodding, Nanoha turned to her subordinates.

"Erio, Caro, Subaru, Teana, please head over to the table next to Lindy-san." Nanoha directed them.

"Signum, Vita, Fate, and I will be meeting Former Admiral Harlaown about the assignment."

"Admiral Harlaown?" the young girl named Caro turned to the same woman. "Is she…"

"Yes," Fate T. Harlaown, the woman next to Nanoha, answered before Erio could respond. "She's my mother, who took care of me in the past ten years. Furthermore, her son, Chrono, has become an Admiral himself."

"Unfortunately, this will be a meeting between us adults," Nanoha informed her pupils. "So please, have a seat while I get all of your something to eat."

The younger members complied as they went to the table next to Lindy's. As the older members went over to the former Admiral, it was only and her Mother together at the counter.

"You do well to take care of everyone," Momoko complimented. "I'm surprised that we would all meet together like this. Not just Lindy, but all of your other partners from your job."

"Lindy-san was the one who requested us specifically," Nanoha explained. "There were no other Mages available in the area, and we had assigned cases at the moment."

"Well, I shouldn't find that surprising," Momoko chuckled at her foolishness. She did not know everything about what her daughter did, but she was one of the few on Earth who had more details and anyone else on the planet. That's because Nanoha's work wasn't on Earth, just like nearly all of her other accomplices. Not even Lindy was from this world. "If you want, I can start taking your orders."

"Thank you, mama."

As Nanoha and her mother talked, the four younger cadets watched from the side.

"I knew that Captain Takamachi was not from another world, but I never knew she came from a place like this," Teana commented. "This is the second time we've been here, but it still seems no different from the administrated worlds of the TSAB."

"This is Captain Takamachi's home planet," Subaru said from the side. "Anyone would feel comfortable after returning home."

"That's not the only thing," Teana gazed at her superior officer, who was trying one of her mother's cakes. They witnessed her having a delighted look while also blushing over her mother's words, which were drowned out in the background. "At first, I always thought of her and Fate as grownups. But here…"

"She is totally like a child."

"Momoko-san is such a great mother," Caro complimented.

"So beautiful," Erio said before he caught his words and started blushing.

"To think that she's would come from such a great a family," Teana lamented. "If you look at it that way, it's almost like she's spoiled like we're the only mature ones over here."

"Is that so?" Subaru smugly said as she wrapped around her partner.

"H-Hey, what are you doing, you idiot!"

The other young members chuckled as Subaru fondled Teana. It took a while until they managed to calm down when Momoko already brought cakes over.

By that time, the others already took their seats at a reserved table in the back. Shiro and the others continued to clean up the café as the older guests got to talking.

"It has been a long time, Miss Harlaown," the pink-haired woman named Signum Yagami joined in on the conversation. At first, it was only between Fate and Lindy Harlaown, who was having a similar discussion as Nanoha with Momoko.

"Yes, I believe it's been more than ten years by now," Lindy confirmed. "Though I hear that you came here recently for another case."

"I assume that was Arisa and Suzuka's doing?" Fate asked.

"They did, and I thank you for handling the case very well."

"We're sorry if we did not have enough time to see you," Nanoha said with some shame. "We wanted to give the new team a tour around our home while we had the chance."

"Riot Force 6," Lindy recalled the name, or rather the abbreviation of the unit. "Admiral Chrono told me about your unit's progress regarding the Relics. I am surprised that there are so many dangerous Lost Logia being smuggled throughout Midchilda."

"So are we," Fate replied. "Unfortunately, we have yet to confirm who is responsible. The only suspect we have is a man named Dr. Jail Scaglietti."

"Dr. Jail," Lindy recalled the name. "An S-Ranked Interdimensional Criminal who is also a talented scientist."

"Sounds like you know more about this guy," Vita questioned the woman.

"Although we do not know his origins, I know the basics about him. He's experienced in multiple fields, several of which are illegal by TSAB regulations. For this very reason, Jail has gone underground, and we received no information about him ever since."

"We've encountered many his Gadget Drones on Midchilda in the past few months," Fate reported. "Not only did they have the man's name on them, but they also had Jewel Seeds to power up their Anti-Magilink Fields."

"Jewel Seeds?" Lindy was surprised to hear the words.

"Yes, the same ones we retrieved from Earth all those years ago. Even we were surprised by this turn of events."

"The last time we were concerned about the Jewel Seeds, we were…"

"I know. It was the time when my mother, my first mother, tried going to Al-hazard. As for the rest of the Jewel Seeds, they should have been locked away, never to be used again."

"Dr. Jail was renowned before he went rogue. There would be no doubt he had many connections to the TSAB."

"Yeah, but who would be willing to sponsor a guy like him?" Vita pointed out, although no one had the answer.

The conversation paused as a loud sound came from the television. It was the melody for a news station that broadcasted every afternoon.

 _"Today is the third day since the great excavation project here in Central Asia. Several nations, including minor neighboring states and major powers, continue to pour vast amounts of money into supplies and equipment for the inhabitants to mine the area. World interest has increased ever since an unknown substance was discovered, which is claimed to a highly valuable with extraordinary properties. However, the leading nation in these operations remains the one whose borders envelop the mining area of such resource, the Republic of Zogilia."_

The screen switched to a digging site with trucks carrying glowing-green crystals.

 _"Once a minor nation that held little influence in world politics, Zogilia's economic wealth increased drastically since the discovery of this unknown resource. Mining companies in the area have locked hands with the central government, and several undeveloped countries seek to participate in the mining operations to increase their own economic wealth. If claims from key officials are true, it won't be long before Zogilia's influence eclipses the region and stands out a leading economic power among the world's nations…"_

"Republic of Zogilia…"

Nanoha trailed on the name. It wasn't that she failed geography, but there were many nations of which she did not know.

"I expected that you haven't heard the news," Shiro came near his daughter's side. "There's a lot of things going on in that country in the past few days. Too bad you weren't back early enough to see it."

"What happened?"

"I don't know the details, but contacts as a bodyguard filled me in on the situation. Countries all over are going crazy over a new substance like the one being found in Zogilia. Their best guess, it's going to be a revolutionary energy source that's going to turn this planet's economy upside-down. Everyone's scrambling over to find more of it just to keep ahead."

"A revolutionary energy source, huh?" Vita drank some cocoa, uninterested the topic.

"Is this what you wanted to discuss, mama?" Fate asked Lindy, who immediately shook her head.

"It is something of interest, but that's not the reason I called you here," the former Admiral went on. "This has more to do with what's going in this region."

"W-What do you mean?" Those words made Nanoha stutter for the moment.

"Shortly after you left for your assignment, my son stopped by to pay me a visit. During that period, his flagship reported an unusual anomaly occurring in Japan."

"An anomaly?" Signum was also intrigued. "Exactly what kind of anomaly would this be?"

"We don't know. As a former commander, I recommended that they had some give close observation to this region. However, all other Mages are so busy that we could only rely on you to handle this case. However, some speculated it to be a spacetime distortion as if it were a wormhole entrance."

 _A spacetime distortion,_ Fate wondered. Shortly after talking about Jewel Seeds, she recalled the time she was collecting them until she found Nanoha. Her original purpose of finding those Jewel Seeds gave a realization. _Could it be…no way, mother?_

"Do you know where this anomaly is?" Signum asked in Fate's place.

"I can send you the details once you're done with this little trip, but you'll have to wait for the time being," Lindy paused to take a sip of cocoa. "By the way, I hear that you and Nanoha just had a daughter."

Shiro and Momoko froze for the moment, wondering if they heard that right.

"A daughter?" Shiro narrowed his eyes, changing his face from being shocked to overly cautious.

 _Nanoha and Fate?_ Momoko started from the background.

"When did you-"

"She's was only adopted recently," Fate explained the news, putting Nanoha's parents at ease and causing Shiro to back away. "Right now, Nanoha and I have been taking care of her ever since we brought her home from the Belkan Church."

"Does she have a name?"

"Well…"

Before they could continue, she and the other members of Riot Force 6 received a telepathic message.

 _"This is the Arthra. Do you hear me, Lightning? Stars?"_

"H-Hayate-san?" Nanoha's blurted out the name of the caller.

"Hayate-sama?" Signum said to herself, speaking formally.

 _"This is Lightning 1,"_ Fate connected Hayate first. _"We read you, Arthra."_

 _"We apologize for the interruption, but we need you and the others back up here…"_

 _"What's the situation?"_

 _"It is an emergency. I will explain it to you later, but we need you back on board fast."_

 _"U-Understood, Lightning out."_

Shortly after Fate ceased communications with Hayate, she turned to her close friends. Everyone nodded in response as they also received the message.

"Sorry, but we need to cut our meeting short," Fate apologized to Lindy as they stood up. "Yagami-san just called us in for an emergency. We don't know the details, but we'll figure it out once we regroup."

"I understand," Lindy sighed in resignation. "It cannot be helped."

"Please, let's continue our conversation later," Nanoha promised. "We will be back before long."

As Lindy nodded, the members of Riot Force 6 immediately got out of their seats and rushed out the door. Even though it was short, she felt pleased that they would see each other again. Like Nanoha said, she only hoped they would do so again before long.

 _Hopefully, not too long._

* * *

Orbiting the planet was a significantly sized warship, composed of a round base with two sharp prongs sticking out. It was the original design for cruisers of the TSAB.

This one, dubbed the Arthra, was more known than others. It was famously used during the magical incidents that occurred on Earth throughout the recent decade. The sole purpose of the ship was to monitor Earth, which was considered undeveloped by the eyes of the TSAB. Now, it was commanded by said undeveloped citizens. Or, to put it more accurately, it was operated by those who had magical ability, and they all kept their existence a secret.

Not much time passed since Riot Force 6 arrived back on the ship. The higher-ranking officers entered the bridge, where they met the commanding officer.

"What's the situation?" Fate asked a brown-haired woman who went by the name Hayate Yagami. From her face, she could tell that something terrible happened.

"It just came out of nowhere," Hayate displayed screens by her seat. "Everything turned out clean on the planet, but the next thing we knew, a large entity appeared in our sensors."

"A large entity?" The words made Vita raise an eyebrow, prompting Hayate to be more specific.

"It all started here on Hachijo Island," Hayate pinpointed the location on the map. "At first, everything turned out clean on our sensors. Then all of a sudden, a huge anomaly opened up."

"Mother was talking about something about that earlier," Fate got the commander's attention. "She says that although small, it's been going on ever since Chrono-nii-san visited Earth. Some speculated that it was a spacetime distortion, but she wanted to doubt it."

Hayate sighed before bearing the bad news.

"Unfortunately, from the looks of it, the readings show that she was right."

"Do you know who was responsible," Signum questioned her superior. "Could it be a Lost Logia?"

"No. However, shortly after the distortion ended, we zoomed in on the area to collect images of the affected area. Our last images managed to collect this."

The next images that Hayate projected ultimately took the other agents by surprise. The displayed what looked like an enormous humanoid machine from a show back on their world. The machine had sinister dark purple colors, red eyes, and gold plating on its head and shoulders. It was also heavily armed with large cannons on each of its arms, a rifle in its right hand, and a lance stored on the back.

"What in the Sankt Kaiser's name?" Vita's eyes widened, remembering when she saw at least toys of such machines.

"Is that…a robot?" Nanoha asked, although the answer was already apparent for her.

"Even I was stumped when we discovered this machine. No one on the Arthra has seen this kind of weapon before, and the TSAB's database doesn't contain anything close to it."

Before Hayate could continue, she noticed Fate staring at the images, advancing closer to the screens.

"What is it, Fate-chan?"

"There's something very eerily familiar about that machine," Fate answered before snapping back into the real world. "Have you conducted a scan on it?"

"We have, but nothing matches within our databanks."

"Could it be a new Gadget Drone weapon?" Signum asked before Vita answered beside her.

"That stands up to at least 10 meters! It's too big to be a drone!"

"That's not all," Hayate agreed as she continued. She changed the images to display heat sources coming from the machine. "Scans also show that someone is piloting it."

"A real mecha…" Nanoha pondered.

"Now's the not the time to gawk," Vita snapped everyone back into the world. "We need to stop that thing before it causes trouble. With all of those weapons, it doesn't look like any friendly."

"That's right, Vita. That's exactly why we called you back," Hayate went on with the mission briefing. "I wanted Nanoha, Fate, Signum, and Vita to ahead first to control the situation. Try to establish cast a Temporal Barrier around the machine the first moment you get without getting attention from the locals. Once we disable the machine, we'll need to subdue the pilot and capture him for-"

"Captain Yagami, we just received a new report!" a man named Griffith spoke from the opposite side of Hayate. "The unknown machine has just been spotted again!"

"Can you give us a location?" Hayate turned her attention to her communications staff.

"Right here," one of the officers named Alto reported to the Captain. "Location identifies it as Seiou High School in Narashino!"

"Narashino?" Nanoha shook.

"Isn't that close to Uminari City?" Fate also asked.

"If you get there by train," Hayate confirmed. "But for it to be this close…"

"New report!" Alto reported again. "Captain, that machine is attacking the planet's inhabitants!"

"What!?"

* * *

 **(1)**

The once peaceful streets of Narashino were thrown into chaos in the past few minutes. Before anyone knew what was going on, a giant robot appeared out of nowhere and started bombarding the city. At first, it was the nearby high school, but then it created a trail of destruction, actively pursuing something.

Throughout the streets was the machine's target, a young boy riding on a bicycle. When the robot attacked his school, he got on a nearby bike and ran like hell. Even with the robot closing behind him, it's a miracle that he's still alive.

 _Why? Why did it have to come to this!?_

Aoba Watase ran as fast as he could on his bike. The purple robot appeared behind him from the corner again, firing several more rounds at him. Although the impacts rocked his bike, he remained firm and regained control to keep himself from hitting the pavement.

He took another left into a narrow alleyway. With the high building and narrow roads, he hoped that would keep the machine from shooting any more rounds at him. He only had to worry about colliding with pedestrians and other objects. However, the pilot of the robot seemed to know that well.

"Trying to avoid getting shot? Don't screw with me!"

The purple mecha put away its rifle and took out an arrow-shaped lance from its back. After locating Aoba once again, he flew above to his position and swooped down.

"Ahh crap!" Aoba cursed as the machine dug through the pavement, throwing chunks of brick and asphalt into the air. The impact also flung his bike forward, tossing him headfirst into the sidewalk of the main street.

By the time he regained consciousness, he had noticed the machine's large shadow casting over him. He turned around to find the lance aiming straight for him. It looked like it was now the end of him.

"You're finished!" The pilot shouted just before several shots impacted the torso of the mecha. "What!?"

As the purple robot got knocked back, Aoba jerked his head to find his sudden savior. He stood up to get a better view and eventually came across another humanoid machine. This one carried a rifle like the other machine and shared the same aesthetics, except it was pink rather than purple.

 _Another robot? Here?_

One mecha was more than shocking for Aoba, but now there were two right in front of him, with this one saving his life. Regardless, this felt like the perfect time to escape.

"Wait, Aoba!" A familiar voice came from the robot's speakers. It was that of a young girl who was the same age as Aoba. The robot came closer to the boy before kneeling down. Then, the cockpit opened, showing a young schoolgirl with long black hair. "Come with me if you want to live."

"Y-Yumihara-san!?" Aoba immediately recognized the pilot. She was Hina Yumihara, who went to the same school as him and had an unusual affection for him. He caught a glimpse of her running away from the robot as well, but the two separated from each other at the school. It was unimaginable that they would meet again like this. "What are you doing here!?"

"Quickly!" Yumihara demanded, not in the position waste time.

Clicking his tongue, Aoba hurried over to the robot's hands, which Hina used to carry him into the cockpit. At that moment, the purple robot recovered from Hina's attack and caught the two together shortly before the cockpit closed. The sight made the pilot somehow snap.

"Why would you do this, Hina!" the pilot shouted her name. "WHY!?"

"Hold on!" she ordered Aoba as she operated the controls.

 **(2)**

The pink robot accelerated into the air, forcing Aoba to hold onto the cockpit seat. The purple robot followed them into the sky, slowly gaining on her the pink one. As the purple machine charged with his lance, Hina responded by drawing a sword. The two robots clashed and locked their weapons in place.

"How could you do this to me, Hina!?" The enemy pilot shouted before knocking his opponent back.

"Alright, it should be able to work just this once."

Before she could do anything, however, more warning signs flashed on the screen. Before she knew it, the two machines were enveloped in a distorted sphere, effectively cutting them off from the outside world.

"What the hell!?" the purple pilot exclaimed.

"A Temporal Field?" Hina, on the other hand, had an idea of what was going on.

"Temporal…what?" Aoba did not get the last part.

As the two machines were trapped inside the field, Nanoha, Fate, Vita, Signum were outside completing the spell for the Temporal Field. Each of the girls had armor on their thighs and arms and wielded different weapons. Nanoha's uniform was white with a red jewel, and she carried a white staff with golden prongs and a red orb at the end. Fate's outfit was black with a white cape, and her weapon was a scythe with a yellow jewel. Signum had standard knight armor on her legs and thighs, complete with a sword. Vita wore a red gothic Lolita uniform with a hat and carried a hammer.

Right after Vita and Signum cast a barrier to shield their activities from the outside world, Nanoha and Fate entered to confront their opponents.

"Arthra, this is Lightning 1," Fate contacted Hayate. "Lightning 2 and Stars 2 have just cast a Temporal Field around the two unknown machines. Stars 1 and I are moving in to contain the situation."

"Understood, Lightning 1. Just make sure you do not harm the pilots. We need them taken alive for questioning."

The pilot of the purple machine was confused for the first few seconds, but eventually, he came to realize what was going on.

"That magical girl barrier. Could it be…?"

He caught the sight of two girls with pink and yellow streaks. After zooming in on the new arrivals, he recognized each of their faces. He also cracked into the planet's Internet servers like did to find Aoba and pulled up two entries that showed Nanoha and Fate's school records at Uminari City. The man then descended into maniacal laughter that made the two girls freeze.

"So, you're all here as well. Captain Nanoha Takamachi! Enforcer Fate Testarossa!"

"W-What!?" Nanoha jumped, never expecting one of the machines to know her name, let alone her affiliation with the TSAB.

 _Testarossa,_ The Enforcer was equally shocked. _He called me by my maiden name…_

"Foolish women, you have no idea what you girls have gotten yourselves into," the pilot gloated as he aimed his lance. "You think this is a nightmare, but this all real, and I'm going to kill you right here!"

As the robot charged after the two girls, the duo separated from each other. Thanks to their powers, both of them had more than enough speed to outrun most foes. However, the robot wasn't something to laugh at either since it was also apparently fast despite its condition.

"A.C.S. Driver…Charge!"

Nanoha's staff took the form a lance with pink energy emitted from the tip. She then charging head-on towards her opponent, aiming for the shoulders to avoid hitting the cockpit.

"Don't screw with me!"

The pilot responded by countering with his robot's lance. To her shock, the machine's weapon did not break but instead matched and even countered out her A.C.S. Driver attack. The impact eventually knocked her back, forcing her to play cat-and-mouse with the machine.

"Divine Shooter!"

As the machine went after Nanoha Takamachi, she fired off her spells to weaken to damage the enemy vehicle. But her surprise, all of her shots did less damage than she expected. In retaliation, the purple robot switched its lance for a rifle, firing several rounds at her. Nanoha put up a circular barrier to protect herself from the shots, but even these rounds were far more powerful than she anticipated. They knocked her back and forced to her lose the robot's tail. Although she would usually take the enemy head-on, her instinct from the first failed attack told her beforehand that doing that again was a terrible idea. For once, she had to be on the defensive.

On the other side, Hina tried to escape the pursuit of Fate Testarossa, who was far faster than her machine. However, the young girl had no intention to fight, only to avoid capture and damage from the enemy. Instead, she tried tracking the girl, hoping to get a clear image of her.

"What are you doing, Hina?" Aoba asked. Two robots appearing in the city, with her classmate piloting one of them, was weird enough. But seeing two girls flying with what he could call magic was another kind of weirdness.

"Takamachi, Testarossa," Hina continued her work on the operating system. "There's only one thing that could mean."

When Fate was directly behind her, Hina stopped the machine and faced her. She put away her robot's sword, leaving herself completely unarmed. As expected, Fate reacted by stopping, though still cautious with her scythe glowing yellow energy and sparks. But that was enough time for Hina to recognize her.

"If she's here, then that means," Hina input more commands onto the operating systems. The screen zoomed to show what looked like a large ship in space. "That's it!"

Above the Earth's orbit, the Arthra continued monitoring the battle inside the barrier. It wasn't long before Alto received an incoming call from the pink machine.

"Captain, we're receiving a transmission from one of the unknown units."

A "sound only" screen projected on the monitors as Hina's voice came in.

"Captain Yagami, are you there? Captain Yagami, please come in!"

The sudden message startled the crew. Even Hayate was unsure how one of these machines knew the existence of the Arthra or how the young girl managed to contact it. And that already discounted the fact that the purple machine knew about Nanoha and Fate as well.

"Who is this?" Hayate demanded. "How do you know about this ship?"

"I cannot explain that right now," Hina grunted as she deflected an attack from Fate. "Is this the TSAB Cruiser Arthra?"

"Arthra? Who is this, Hina?" Aoba spoke within the communication system that the officers overheard.

"State your name and purpose here," Hayate ordered her.

"My name is Yumihara Hina. I'm looking for Riot Force 6 Commander Yagami Hayate. If you can, bring me Captain Takamachi and Enforcer Testarossa as well."

"Testarossa? You mean Enforcer Harlaown?"

"Just let me reach them now!"

"Captain," Griffith spoke from the side. "What should we do?"

The usual response would be to continue attempting to restrain the pink mecha in case it ever fought back and backstabbed them. However, the desperation in the pilot's voice, let alone its confrontation against Fate unarmed, showed she wasn't willing to fight.

"Get Enforcer Harlaown and Captain Takamachi on," Hayate issued her communications staff.

"But Captain, are you sure that we can trust her?" Griffith asked her.

"She doesn't sound like she wants to fight us, rather the opposite. If there's any way we can figure what's going on, it would be through her. Open the channel to her."

By that point, Fate already damaged the pink robot's left arms. However, the screens on Hina's machine showed that she could now contact Nanoha and Fate, though it was a "sound only" connection.

"Captain Takamachi, please come in!" Hina contacted the two agents. "Enforcer Harlaown, do you also hear me?"

"A young girl?" Fate stopped in the middle of her assault. She recognized the voice to be much younger than she was.

"Who is this?" Nanoha asked upon hearing Hina's voice.

"Nanoha, please listen carefully. I'm inside the pink robot that you see. The purple machine is your real enemy."

"My enemy?"

Nanoha failed to see the purple robot come after her with its lance, forcing her to block with her own staff. She could already feel her weapon starting to break from the immense power of the machine.

"It's only luck that I found you, too!" the pilot of the enemy machine exclaimed. "You'll die right here along with the ones you love, Nanoha Takamachi!"

In response, Hina quickly took out her rifle and fired on the purple machine. Several rounds impacted its right shoulder and thrusters, sending it spinning for the moment.

"Damnit!"

As Nanoha regained control of her flight, she turned to Hina's robot that was her savior.

"That robot…"

"Nanoha, Fate, please listen to me," Hina told them both. "I'm not your enemy. That machine was sent to kill both of you. You need to take him down before that happens."

"What makes you so sure?" Fate inquired.

"If you help me stop him, I'll turn myself in along with my machine. I'll explain everything to you from there. But for now, I just need you to cooperate for the time being."

The purple robot regained control of its flight and started cruising towards Hina again.

"How could you do this to me," the pilot ranted. "Why, Hina!?"

Hina reacted by drawing out her sword again to block the lance.

"Now!" Hina shouted. "While he's focused on me!"

The two flying TSAB agents nodded to each other as they cast their spells on the target.

"Restrict Lock!"

By collecting the used mana in the air, circular rings manifested around the purple robot's limbs. The pilot struggled helplessly as Fate cast her own ability.

"Thunder Rage!"

New yellow binds enchanted by electricity restrained the enemy robot. Shortly after, massive yellow sparks erupted from a large yellow circle that encircled the purple machine. The yellow lightning zapped the robot as the pilot screamed out in pain.

Once the electrocution stopped, Hina went forward with her rifle in tow.

"So long."

Several rounds from Hina's rifle busted the torso of the robot. The enemy machine fell helplessly as if the pilot had been killed.

"Crystal Cage!"

Nanoha used one last spell to trap the enemy machine. Even though the original was much smaller, there was more than enough mana to envelop the entire machine. The robot crashed onto the floor of the pyramidal structure, trapped within the magical cage.

Hina read the sign of her enemy. There was no more energy coming from the purple robot.

"Incredible," Aoba was left amazed by the performance.

"That should finally stop him for good," Hina contacted the TSAB agents. "Thank you very much."

"The pleasure is all ours, Yumihara-san," Hayate welcomed her ally. "Now, if you may…"

"Right," Hina complied. "I will land to the nearest venue and explain everything from there."

"Thank you."

The communication line with Hayate and the others ceased. At this point, it's a matter of time when they'll contact her again. But with the enemy machine destroyed and captured, she sighed in relief, knowing that her classmate was safe.

That said, she noticed the boy gazing at her by the side.

"W-What are you look at me for!?"

"Hina, I want to ask you…"

"About what?"

"Everything."

Hina took another deep breath as if she expected that this would happen. It may be bizarre, but now that everything came to this, she had no other choice.

"You may not believe me, but I am actually from the future."

"You mean…"

"Yes, we're time travelers," Hina faced the Mages, including the incoming Signum and Vita, who approached the disabled robot. "Me and the person in that other robot."

"Then what about those flying girls? Are they from the future, too?"

Hina shook her head.

"Those are members of the Time-Space Administration Bureau."

"T-Time…Bureau?"

"In this timeline, members of the TSAB were sent to the same future as we were," Hina zoomed in one the brown-haired girl in the white uniform. "The most important one was Nanoha Takamachi."

"Takamachi-san?"

"Originally, she was from the same planet as we were. It's because of her and her friends that I was able to come to the past and protect you…and themselves from that man."

"So, this robot is…"

"Yes, this is also from the future, although it has rusted over the years."

"Over the years?"

"Yes. All this time, I've been watching over you, Watase Aoba."

Aoba remained speechless as Hina chuckled for the moment.

"To be honest, it came as a complete surprise that we had seats next to each other in the same class. What were the odds? Of course, I knew that someday he would appear in this timeline to kill you, so I made sure to never separate from you. Once he did arrive, I would try to find the Bureau before he killed Takamachi-san as well."

"How you do you all of this?"

"Well," Hina stopped before taking time to answer. "It's because I heard it all from you."

"Huh?"

Before Aoba could ask any more, another "sound only" line opened up on the robot's operating system.

"Yumihara-san, please come in," Hayate's voice reached the pink robot again.

"I read you," Hina responded to Hayate's words.

"We found a safe spot for you to land," Hayate showed a location on the island in the middle of the ocean. "Please head to these marked coordinates and we shall take you in for questioning."

"Understood."

Hina ceased communications before turning to Aoba again.

"Aoba, I'll land somewhere so you can get out."

"Hina?"

"My work here is already finished. Now that the person sent to kill you is locked up, you can return to your life as it was up to today. Just forget about this whole incident, and you'll be fine."

"But what about you?"

"I'm going to turn myself into the Bureau and explain everything to them. Only they can understand my actions."

Hina continued to observe the Mages, which were in the process of apprehending the enemy robot and its pilot. Vita inspected the machine himself, nearly amused by the sight.

"Who thought a mecha would appear into this world?"

But then the engines of the machine came back to life. Although the cage was made to restrain the mecha, there was more than space for it to walk around. The pilot was now in an even bigger fit of rage.

"Vita, Signum, watch out!" Nanoha shouted as it tried to break through the barrier.

"He still has some power left!?" Hina caught of the enemy robot, which was shown to be still operational.

"Don't mess with me, you damn Mages!"

Before they realized it, electric interference emitted from the machine. Not only did it affect the pink robot transmissions, but it also caused the Crystal Cage to collapse. The Temporal field also fell apart, exposing them to the outside again. The enemy robot was free once more.

"Anti-Magilink Field!?" Fate jumped over the phenomenon, never expecting their enemy to have this kind of technology.

"No," Hina corrected her through the weak transmissions. "Stand Alone Mode."

"S-Stand Alone?"

The robot used the time to knock away the distracted Enforcer, sending her into the sea.

"Fate-san!" Nanoha cried out as she went after her friend.

"Bastard!" Vita attempted to charge in, only to be met with the robot's arm-mounted bazookas.

The weapons on the purple robot's arm exploded upon blasting Vita out of the sky, forcing Signum to catch her wounded ally. The robot then charged towards Hina, crushing the torso and wrapping around her with both arms.

"The cockpit is jammed!" Hina read the damage done to her machine. "It won't open!"

Just then, another screen appeared, showing the face of the enemy pilot.

"To think that you'd come, Hina…"

Hina merely smirked at her enemy.

"Of course, I knew you'd come."

"Is that so? Then you know what's in store for us, right?"

Hina's eyes widened what he was planning to do. On the right side of his machine, he opened up a cover for a large red button.

"No way, he's going to self-destruct!"

"Hina, even if I receive a blow or I die, I can still do this!" the enemy pilot displayed a counter on Hina's screen. "You're all going to die with me right here!"

As both machines gained speed, another monitor showed the robots leaving the atmosphere. From the current trajectory, they were aiming towards the TSAB vessel in space.

"He's aiming for the Arthra," Hina realized. "He plans to take us down along with the Riot Force 6 team!"

"What?" Aoba jerked to the same screen. "What do we do now?"

"We…"

In the middle of her panic, another screen showed another warning approaching. This one reported something all too familiar to her, a spacetime anomaly appearing in space.

"I see, so that's how it is," Hina resigned to her fate. "I never understood why it was that you'd appear in front of me, nor could I understand why I could never forget about you. Fate is cruel, isn't it?"

"Yumihara?"

"Please…call me, Hina," the young classmate asked him politely before turning serious once more. "Aoba, have faith in me."

After a few seconds trying to understand what she meant, Aoba nodded in confidence.

"You got it!"

Hina clicked her tongue in agitation as she focused on piloting her machine.

"It's always like you easily have faith in people…"

Meanwhile, as the two interlocked mecha accelerated into the air, Hayate and her staff detected the incoming danger.

"Both unknown units are escaping the atmosphere," a woman named Shario reported. "Captain, they're on a collision course with that Arthra!"

"Contact that pink machine immediately."

"Negative, Captain. It appears the enemy machine has damaged its communications equipment."

"Takamachi-san, Harlaown-san, Signum-san, Vita-san, quickly stop that purple machine. Do what you can to rescue Yumihara and her associate. Hurry, before they destroy themselves trying to escape the atmosphere!"

Just when Hayate finished her orders, Shario gave her a new shocking report.

"Captain, a new spacetime distortion just appeared on our sensors! It's…"

Before Shario could complete her sentence, a massive anomaly appeared in the center of the battle zone. It took the form of a giant yellow tunnel with a bright light at the end. The anomaly produced immense forces where no one in the area was able to escape.

As the Arthra and its crew became dragged into the wormhole, Hina steered her machine straight into it.

"There it is," she said to herself upon discovering the anomaly. "Just a little more and…"

The young pilot was interrupted by the robot's engines giving out. However, Aoba laid his hands over the controls, causing the girl to blush.

As the two machines flew in, the rest of the TSAB team got dragged in as they tried to pursue the two mecha.

"NANOHA-SAMA!" Vita cried out as she was the first to get pulled in. Not even her hammer, converted into a rocket-propelled form, as enough to escape its pull.

"Hayate-sama!" Signum also cried, heading towards the Arthra that got consumed.

"NANOHA-CHAN!" Fate's last thoughts were grabbing Nanoha's hand as they were sucked in together.

It wasn't long before everyone in the vicinity got pulled into the anomaly. A while later, the yellow wormhole closed itself as if what transpired never happened.

* * *

 **(3)**

Aoba remained in the cockpit of Hina's mecha. The two continued towards the light through the yellow tunnel. The forces ripped the purple robot apart, exploded harmlessly within the void behind them. The two kids were alone now, just him and Hina.

However, his classmate turned to him as if she had more to say.

"Aoba, this is where we part," Hina told him. "You're going into the future now."

"The future? But what about you?"

Hina shook her as she replied with comfort.

"Dio will be waiting for you."

"Dio? Who's that?"

Before he could question her more, the pilot started collapsing on its own. Eventually, the cockpit seat itself began to break apart.

"What's happening? What's going on, Hina?"

However, the Hina before him was no longer there. Instead, she faded from the cockpit seat, bidding her final goodbye to him.

"Dio is waiting for you, Aoba…"

"Hina, wait! HINA!"

As the image of Hina disappeared completely, the remains of the machine reached the end of the tunnel. Aoba's eyes flashed white, rendering him ultimately consciousness. What happened to him next was for fate to decide.

* * *

 _There will be one more section for the intermission. After that, it's straight to Episode 8._

 _Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter._


	21. Episode 8-1

_Now that the intermission is done, we can get back to the action with the Black Iris._

 _Before continuing, there will be something at the end of each chapter that's also part of Super Robot Wars, or at least from the more recent series._

 _Anyway, time to get to the chapter._

* * *

A few minutes have passed since everyone recovered from the effects of the spacetime distortion. When it reached the end of the tunnel, the personnel felt like they were spat out in random directions. They all flung towards the ocean and several of the nearby islands.

The Black Iris regained control of its descent despite its size. It was a miracle that the Gravity Drives remained undamaged during the previous battle, which played a factor in preventing it from crashing. However, there were still traces of damage such as multiple holes in the hull and deck. Regardless, the ship remained highly intact, as was the main bridge.

"General, we have exited the distortion," Maxine reported to their commanding officer. "Kurohana is conducting a system check and analysis of the environment."

"Do we have an idea of what caused the distortion?"

"No, but it's a near repeat of the first jump."

"That's twice that we were saved by luck," the General lamented, recalling the move the twins made. By combining their power, they blocked the same kind of attack that nearly got them killed the other time at the cost of being flung into another world. "There's something exceptional about those twins."

"The main server of the Black Iris is also intact," Maxine continued. "All information about the recent battle has been stored."

"We'll go over the data once we find a secure landing point. Is the area safe enough for us to land?"

"Scans show that the planet's atmosphere matches exactly that of Earth. We'll be able to exit the Black Iris without life support."

"I see," the General took a close look at the damage on the Black Iris's deck. He witnessed Commander Mio, who held onto another woman close to her age. He recalled her being one of the girls from the previous world, which prompted him to ask. "What are our available assets?"

"Everyone from the previous jump is still active," Maxine displayed their troops' locations on the central hologram. "The twins are on the portside bow with Ria helping an incapacitated Lia. Mio remains on the deck, and Officer Liu has no serious injuries."

"Did anything else get pulled into the distortion?"

"Several natives from the other world were pulled in with us. One of which was rescued by Commander Mio. The rest are scattered around the area."

The General did not know whether it was a sign of good or bad luck that many people ended up caught in their battles. However, they were friendly to Officer Liu and outright stated that they weren't hostile. The least they can do was help those who supported them.

"Issue the following orders to our available forces. Contact the nearby unknown magical girls and their affiliates. Perform search and rescue operations, and then bring them all on board the Black Iris for questioning."

"For questioning?"

"Officer Liu has gone MIA in the last few days, and these people are likely responsible for his recovery. We need everyone gathered for exchanging information and a brief overview as to what happened."

"Understood."

As the Black Iris gave out orders to its personnel, a particular White Witch searched a nearby island with trees and grassy fields. Izetta had barely enough mana, which was slowly replenished after nearly colliding with the Black Iris, to make a safe landing with her rifle. Even then, she tumbled onto the grass and ached from hitting her head on the back of a tree. Once she recovered, she stumbled around in her dress as she searched for her missing friends.

"Archduchess? Archduchess!"

After crossing over thorny bushes, she came across the Halifax bomber that carried the Archduchess. Although the plane made a controlled descent, the fuselage was the only part that remained intact. The wings were torn off, and flames of debris scattered the crash site. As for the people inside, no one seemed to be killed, though there were some injuries among the crew.

"Izetta?"

Finé's faint voice reached Izetta. Her dress was covered in dirt from exiting the wrecked vehicle, but she had no visible injuries.

"Archduchess, you're okay!"

Izetta ran up to Finé, who picked herself up with her arms only to get a glomp from the White Witch. As her friend was on the verge of tears, Finé comforted her with her hands wrapped around her.

"Yes, somehow…"

"Oh, Archduchess…"

"Talk about a rough landing," Alice interrupted the bonding moment. "Anyone see Tipler around?"

"I'm over here, Alice-sama," Tipler crawled out of the plane wreckage. He hopped over to Alice's side, hiding behind her legs. "I hope to never ride one of those again."

"The plane is damaged for sure," Finé observed the condition as the Britannian soldiers recovered the remaining guests. "But it looks like everyone got out safely."

"I'll say," Alice had to comment. "Count everyone lucky for them to be all still alive."

"What about the other Witches?" Izetta inquired. "What about Sister Bishop and Miss Miyafuji?"

"They're doing okay," Gertrude landed with Erica by her side. Unlike the other Witches who plunged into the water upon leaving the singularity, the two Karsland Witches regained control, allowing them to do a quick reconnaissance. "We found them into the ocean a while ago. Officer Lucchini is also with us."

Just before Izetta could sigh with relief, Major Sakamoto's voice came into the intercom.

"This is Major Sakamoto. Can anyone hear this?"

"We hear you clearly, Major," the Lieutenant replied. "We located Lucchini, Miyafuji, and Bishop. Now, we're with Miss Izetta, Miss Alcubierre, and all personnel from the Halifax. There are some with injuries, but none are critical."

"Understood," the Major confirmed. "Lieutenant Barkhorn, I need you to assist the Black Iris personnel in search and rescue and operations."

"M-Major?"

"You'll be commanding our efforts, Barkhorn. Retrieve the other nearby members of the 501st as well as the Halifax personnel. Bring them all to the ship's deck for a count. Officer Liu will salvage the Halifax and bring it to the hangar by orders of their General."

"U-Understood."

Gertrude complied as the intercom line ended. However, she could not ignore everything that happened in the previous battle, especially the Vilag and the Instructor's speech she gave about their world.

 _That distortion was unlike anything we saw before, not even those beings who were like that Psionic girl,_ the Lieutenant focused the Murlock, who remained hidden within Tipler's pack. _Whatever her pet is hiding from us, it's something we have to find out._

* * *

Within the interior of the Black Iris was its hangar bay. Three additional large decks extended from the round hull, supported by large metal columns from the bottom deck, but these were used more as walkways for the upper floors. The main deck was the most important section, but not just for being so spacious for vast amounts of cargo or weapons. Four circular rings, each with mechanical arms and runes, manifested equipment on each corner of the central elevator. Said elevator led to the flight control center on the third deck in addition to bridges to their respective walkways.

The significant members of the Black Iris awaited their guests on a large square platform at the front of the hangar deck. The launch platform had an equally large circular glass panel that served as both an anti-gravity lift and a holographic projector for certain occasions. The platform currently served as a temporary conference center as it projected a circular table with chairs for their new guests.

"General, everyone is now accounted for," Maxine told Ishida to her left. "It seems all major political and military personnel from the other world are also present."

The twins were on the secretary's right, Commander Mio sat on the other side of the General with Kyoko adjacent to her. Accompanying Kyoko were the 501st members with Major Sakamoto and Lieutenant Barkhorn the closest to him. Finé, Izetta, and Alice occupied the remaining seats.

"Thank you for attending this briefing," the General greeted their new guests after observing them carefully. "We apologize for not finding a more suitable location."

"There is no need to worry," Finé returned the pleasure as she observed. "Though I admit, the ship is far more advanced for our time. Far more than we expected."

"Look at all of those runes," Francesca pointed to a row of holographic screens. "How are they all moving so quickly?"

"Those are all part of the ship's systems," Maxine explained. "They display information throughout the entire ship. Of course, the screens here are important for the Force Catapult system."

"Force Catapult?"

"This whole section you see through the interior of the bow," Maxine towards a tunnel with five large, evenly spaced rings that reinforced the bow, ending with the quarterly-split nose that capped the end. "The rear hangar has an extra launch deck and hangar area for small unmanned aircraft, but this was the main one for all large vehicles. Think of it as a far more advanced form of an aircraft carrier's launch system, one that relies on gravitational forces rather than steam or giant cables."

"Incredible…" Yoshika did not get the entirety of what Maxine talked about, but the rest 501st Joint Fighter Wing has the same feelings.

"What are those things? Who's controlling those machines?"

Lynette then caught the sight of small flying machines the hovered around the hangar bay. One type looked like binoculars with wings and fins. A few others looked like spearheads or Philips screw bits, also with wings and fins, that had a single lens in the center. Although they looked cute, Lynette felt a little unnerved about the machines poking in their meeting.

"They're Worker Drones," Ria answered. "And no one's piloting them, they're self-automated."

"Self-automated?"

"We understand that you have a lot of questions about our Black Iris," Maxine tried to calm the tense atmosphere. "If anything helps, we can give you a tour once this meeting is over."

"The two of us can show you all around and answer all the questions you have!"

"Max is better at explaining everything," Ria calmed her younger sister. "You'll just confuse the guests here."

"Furthermore, we need to gather more information about our new arrivals," General Ishida turned to the alien members of the conference. "If you may please?"

Major Sakamoto and Finé in compliance while Izetta shrugged next to the latter.

"We are willing to share all there is to know about our world."

"We are even more curious as to how you ended in our own in the first place."

"If you have anything you ask, you can tell us, right here and now," Alice interjected as well.

"That is exactly why we arranged this meeting," Ishida assured. "We greatly appreciate your cooperation."

"So," Commander Mio spoke beside him in a somewhat threatening manner. "Who's first in line to talk?"

All of the alien members were silent. Even among Major Sakamoto, Lieutenant Barkhorn, and Archduchess Finé, no one knew how to introduce their world just yet. Although they had a shared history with this world, as Kyoko stated, it would take time for them to go over the differences.

"Why don't we start with you?"

Maxine turned to Alice, much to their shock.

"With me?"

"As you know, the Black Iris and our members are not from your world," Max explained to Alice. "We were brought together by the unknown Special Weapon that had spacetime distortion capabilities."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"The distortions from the first jump matched the signatures used by the unknown enemies in the previous battle. And upon hearing that conversation from earlier, we believe that you would have more information as they were targeting you."

Alice had to chuckle at the moment.

"Funny that you should ask, I was going to say the same thing to Tipler here."

"Tipler?"

"That would be this fellow over here," Alice wrapped his arms around the Murlock in her pouch before showing him to the Black Iris officers. While the General and Mio remained unphased, Maxine showed signs of overload over the creature's appearance with Ria trying to calm her twin sister down.

"Are you sure this can give us information?" Ishida inquired with concern.

"There's no need for concern," Finé assured. "He may not look like it, but he can talk, and we're already used to that fact."

"Very well," the General complied. The others were surprised that he was taking the unusual very well for a high-ranking military officer. "So then…Tipler, is there anything you know about a certain incident? About these unknown distortions?"

"And what's with all this about me having a twin sister?"

"I…"

Tipler remained silent with anxiety. Never before did he feel threatened in any matter, and now he was intimidated by the very girl he was directed to protect. It took Finé's words to pressure him into giving more information.

"Please, Tipler. We can not help you if you tell us the whole truth. We can help you, but only if you tell us what we need to know."

With those words, the Murlock took a deep breath to regain his composure. He then started as he faced Alice.

"You remember when I said that I was in search of two people with Psionics?"

"Yes, and you said that I was one of them."

"The other is your twin sister."

"I get that part already, but how did that happen? I don't even remember having one in my life…"

Alice recalled the difference between her family and herself. It wasn't just skin color, but also how she behaved differently from her given family at Azteca.

"Coming to think of it…I didn't really fit in with my family at all."

"That's because you are both from the Convergence," Tipler answered. "As you noticed, the Vilag use Psionics, the same mental abilities powers you have. In that regard, you are supposedly the same as them."

"Then why are you desperate to protect me? In fact, why would I be sent to another world in the first place?"

"Because you are the key to breaking the current system," Tipler peeked over to everyone else in the meeting. "Do you remember what that Instructor woman said?"

"Yeah. The crazy woman talked about me being re-educated, or worse, executed just because I have too much power."

"The Vilag follow a strict and iron-fisted system on its own kind, just as how they did with us Murlocks. In our world, newborn children are taken away from their families and monitored throughout their development for any abnormalities. They all undergo the same processes and tests, and if any of them fail their expectations, they are removed from the system."

"Define 'remove from the system,'" Kyoko inquired.

"Children are banished from the villages and die out in the forests. Some are eaten right after birth by the Hunterbeasts and Hawkwasps. And some disappear without a trace as if they never existed."

"That's horrible," Lynette cried in sorrow. "No, those people are horrible! How could they enforce such a thing?"

"I don't know either. All that my Master told that they're under the illusion that's for the greater good,"

"Sounds like your Master is already abnormal if she finds this Convergence place that twisted," Ria lamented.

"The question is, why would she want to go against the Vilag?" Maxine asked the Murlock.

"Pardon?"

"The way I see it, they must have a closed system keeping the people wanting to preserve their system and obvious to the truth. Something must have happened for her to rebel against that."

"Maybe she gained some kind of self-consciousness and wanted to change what was wrong," Lia hypothesized.

"Or someone or something outright told her the truth, and she simply couldn't stand how things were done," Francesca took a lazy guess as she leaned her head on the table.

"Tell me about it," Alice responded. "From what I hear, the Convergence is a place where all timelines come together, and even time stands still."

"Does that mean," Yoshika stuttered as she shook over the implications. "Our worlds are all going to be the same as the Vilag?"

"That can't be right," Kyoko denied. "Even if I'm speaking to those from a world where anything is possible."

"Either way, it should explain why you appeared in that particular world," Sakamoto assumed. "And if what Tipler says is true, then I can accurately assume his master's intentions."

"Yeah?" Alice retorted. "And what would that be?"

"To develop your Psionic abilities freely," Mio answered to her surprise. "The way the Vilag society operates clearly shows that they fear aberrations growing unchecked and overthrowing the current system. If you were sent to a place without their supervision, you can grow your powers on your own free will and surpass the limits applied to the current system."

"If you put it that way," Alice didn't know how to answer but was on agreeable terms. "But that Instructor was something else. None of us could even lay a scratch on that woman, and she brought a bunch of strong disciples with her."

"Don't give up now, Alice-san!" Yoshika cheered for the Psionic girl.

"Yoshika?"

"To tell you the truth, I don't even know everything that's going on. I'm just about as lost as everyone. But I do know that if these Vilag people put everyone in danger, then we'll just have to get stronger until we beat them!"

 _I think she took the words straight from Trude's mouth,_ Erica thought to herself with a smirk.

"Sergeant Miyafuji is right," the Karsland Lieutenant agreed with her subordinate. "There's no telling when those Vilag are going to return, and I also don't understand how our worlds could end up the same future as theirs. However, Tipler's master is relying on us to improve Alice's powers and prevent this kind of future."

"Never mind saving the future," Kyoko added. "We don't even know where we are. For all we know, we could already be in a very different future in some alternate timeline that's not ours."

"Kyoko-san," Yoshika worried over the male magic users who talked with some hostility.

"I may not be the right person to say this, but aside from saving the Vilag's future, we have to return to our worlds. I didn't come with you guys just to die out in some unknown universe."

"Officer Liu is correct," Ishida agreed. "At the moment, we are gathering data of the surrounding area. Until the analysis is complete, we shall exchange information from the rest of our guests."

"We understand," Major Sakamoto complied. After receiving a nod from the Archduchess, she went ahead first. "As the highest-ranked officer of the 501 Joint Fighter Wing at the moment, I will start us off."

"Very well," Maxine acknowledged. "Please be kind to introduce yourselves."

"Squadron Leader of the 501 Joint Fighter Wing, Mio Sakamoto," the Major turned to Lieutenant Barkhorn. "The one next to me is the second-highest-ranking officer at present."

"Flight Lieutenant of the Karsland Luftwaffe and 501st Joint Fighter Wing, Gertrude Barkhorn."

"On the side, you have Flying Officer Lucchini, Flying Officer Erica Hartmann, Flight Sergeant Lynette Bishop, and our newest member, Flight Sergeant Miyafuji Yoshika."

"Pleased to make your acquittance," Ishida nodded to the younger members of the 501st.

"T-Thank you, G-General," Lynette hesitantly welcomed the officer.

"Now then," the blue-haired haired moved onto the next topic. "We would like to know more about your world, as well as the weapons you wield."

Sakamoto nodded as she went on.

"Our world is very similar to yours regarding geography. Each nation in our world has nearly the same territory, culture, and language as the alternate version of your world. What you call Japan in your world is named Fuso. Germany is Karsland, Britain is Britannia, and so forth."

"Do not worry," Erica assured. "For the most part, your Japanese and Germans are friends with the Allies this time."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ria still did not get it, which prompted Kyoko to explain concisely.

"They're from an alternate version of World War II where humanity isn't at war with itself."

"That's mostly correct," Mio confirmed. "Our timeline takes place in 1940 AD, around 111 years ahead of your time and in the middle of what you call the Second World War. But rather than fighting amongst each other, humanity is at war against the Neuroi."

"Think of them as alien airplanes that shoot lasers."

"Sentient airplanes," Lia pondered. "You mean like they're robots?"

"Perhaps I can give you a better explanation," Mio went ahead. "In our world, the Neuroi were black and red monsters that have existed since ancient history, just like the existence of us Witches. During that period, they only took the form of legendary creatures from regular mythology. However, other than the ancient times, encounters with Neuroi have been exceedingly rare as all evidence of their existence was erased."

"If they only took up the form of monsters, then what's the whole "airplanes" deal?" Ria inquired.

"As human civilization grew, so did the Neuroi. When they emerged from the Black Sea in full force, the Neuroi had already grown accustomed to humanity's new machines. At that point, the terms "machine" and "creature" did not matter."

"I guess when they came out with that much firepower, you couldn't do a whole lot against these Neuroi aliens."

Mio shook her head.

"It was not until the development of the Striker Unit that we were able to fight back. Striker Units are leg-equipped propeller-driven machines based on already existing plane designs used by normal humans, powered by engines that combine magic and steam or diesel technology."

"Machina Units in World War Two," Maxine hinted as Gertrude went on.

"Striker Units came into military service after the first few Neuroi attacks. However, only those who have magical power can operate these units. These selective few people are known as Witches."

"Witches," Ria caught the word with some distaste.

"We understand that Witches are magic users from another world," Maxine commented. "But we have not seen those of your type, with exceptions being people like Kyoko. Would you care to explain?"

"There are bloodlines throughout our world with the unique talent of generating magical power, all of which are as ancient as the Neuroi themselves," Gertrude continued. "Most of these magic users and all of the best were confirmed to female, hence the term Witches."

"However, not every Witch is the same," Mio pointed out. "A Witch can have multiple traits when it comes to wielding magic. For example, every Witch, no matter what the generation, can have a different level of power that they can use to operate Striker Units. More importantly, Witches of the same clan will have comparable abilities."

"You mean, one whole family could have fire powers?" Lia suggested.

"Something of the sort," Mio nodded nervously. "Furthermore, Striker Units amply a Witch's innate abilities tenfold, providing additional common powers such as high-speed flight, enhanced physical power, and the ability to deploy round shields that block Neuroi weapons."

"Shields that block lasers," Lia acted as if she wanted to see them in action.

"We understand that these powers make you a very versatile and powerful group," Maxine went on as she asked Mio. "However, for the sake of the other girls, we wish to know the status as Witches."

"Our status?"

"A number of us, including the former military personnel on this vessel, have a code regarding magic users regarding their treatment," Ishida explained.

"On the contrary," Mio answered. "Witches can enlist whenever they want, though it is inevitable that they become soldiers. However, even young Witches can have a lot of power and influence in the military thanks to our innate ability and importance in fighting the Neuroi. That power has grown ever since the formation of Joint Fighter Wings, military units composed of Witches from all Allied nations. The ones you see before you are part of the 501st, also known as the 'Strike Witches.' Even as a unit of many different backgrounds, experiences, and nationalities, we are one of the more elite units in taking down the Neuroi."

"I'll say," Lia cheered. "If you got such powerful magical weapons, you're sure to kick those Neuroi behinds!"

"Such simple-mindedness goes nowhere," Gertrude sounded so cold that she intimidated Lia.

"Barkhorn-san," Yoshika reacted to the Lieutenant's words as she continued.

"The Neuroi do not just take up the form of planes and multi-legged machines to attack our forces. When they conquer a territory, they establish a Hive that becomes their base of operations. Then, they start consuming the landmass around the Hive to make more of themselves and launch attacks elsewhere. Even now, the Allies are fighting a defensive war against the Neuroi with our unit stationed in the Britannian Isles."

"It makes sense, considering the period," Maxine interjected, recalling their world's history of that era.

"And that's not all their problems," Kyoko said from the side. "From what I understand, not humanity is out fighting the Neuroi. In fact, some of them are fighting alongside them."

"Are you sure?" Ishida narrowed an eye on him.

"Major," Finé intervened in the conversation. "Would you allow me to handle that topic?"

"Go ahead," Mio nodded, wanting to give the Archduchess a chance to talk.

"I apologize for not introducing myself yet," Finé began before the Black Iris crew. "I am Ortfine Fredricka von Eylstadt, but you can address me as Archduchess Finé."

"Archduchess," Ria crossed her arms. "From your name alone, I could tell that you were nobility, but you don't look like the one typical one from the fairy tale stories."

"Please, don't make fun of the Archduchess like that!"

"I…I…"

For once, Ria took a step back upon hearing Izetta's outburst. She never intended to insult someone of royalty, even if it didn't matter in her world.

"It's alright, Izetta," Finé put a hand over the red-haired Witch. "I'm fine with such comments."

"S-sorry, Archduchess!"

"And who would this girl be?" Ishida inquired.

"M-My name is Izetta," the White Witch hesitantly bowed before the General. "It's very nice to meet you, sir!"

"What's your affiliation?"

"Easy now," Finé went ahead to protect her. "Izetta is an old friend of mine and she's a lot more capable than you would believe."

"And what makes you say that?" Commander Mio narrowed her eyes on the frightened Witch. "She doesn't look like the soldier type one bit."

"She's the last of the Weisse Hexe clan," Lynette answered. "Also known as the White Witch, she belongs to the most revered clan in our world."

"Please, don't give her that much credit," Finé waved her hand.

"But it is true that thanks to her power that Eylstadt has become a significant member among the Allies," Mio backed the Flight Sergeant.

Finé nodded as she continued.

"The majority of humanity is fighting the Neuroi, but not all nations are taking an active role against them. One such nation is the recently created Empire of Germania, which was formed from what used to be Karsland."

"Germania," Commander Mio smirked at the name. "Sounds an obvious name for the bad guy Germans in our war."

"Indeed, and with the rest of the world recovering from the recent wars, Germania began a campaign of conquest that spread across Europe. It wasn't long before they started invading my country, the Duchy of Eylstadt."

"Is this Eylstadt country of yours conquered?" Maxine asked.

"It was on the verge of complete conquest in a couple of days, but you can thank my friend for stopping that completely." Finé went to the blushing Izetta. "Initially, I was captured by the Germanians in my attempt to negotiate with the Allies. But during my escort, I happened to be in the same plane as Izetta, who was made a test subject of the Empire. Since then, she has helped us by fighting off the Germanian armies and keeping Eylstadt safe from further invasion."

"I-I just didn't want you to feel sad anymore…"

"Although the Weisse Hexe clan has existed long before, it achieved legendary status when one of their kind, known as the White Witch, saved Eylstadt from another invasion. Since then, Eylstadt has become a sacred landmark for the clans throughout Europe. It became a worldwide phenomenon when Izetta repelled Germania's invasion of Eylstadt, reinvigorating her legendary status among Witches."

"Does that mean she's the most powerful among your group?" Maxine asked the Archduchess.

"Under circumstances, yes. However, my friend has a crippling weakness that differentiates her power from the clans. One that would restrict her abilities outside of our world."

"What kind of weakness is that?"

Izetta then stepped in to answer Ria's question.

"Unlike normal Witches, my power does not come from within. Instead, there are ley lines that leak out magic throughout the Earth, which we then absorb for our use. Some areas are devoid of ley lines, so I can't even lift a rock. On the other hand, places like Eylstadt have lots of mana, so I can use my magic freely."

"I see, we can understand how that can affect your ability out here," Maxine wanted to give some sympathy to the Witch. "Does anyone else know about this?"

"All those who know about this use it to their advantage to kill our kind and those who protect us," Izetta said with a sweet, but dissonant smile. "Right now, I'm the last Witch among my bloodline."

"But your friends and allies are apparently aware of this fact," the blue-haired officer turned to the rest of the 501st.

"Currently, it's shared only among the Archduchess's cabinet and those among our unit," Sakamoto assured. "However, the Germanians have made unexpected moves in the past week and puts everything at risk."

"What kind of unexpected moves?"

"In the last battle, the Germanians revealed to us that they can control the Neuroi," Finé answered. "And we assume the previous battle was arranged to discover Izetta's weakness."

"World War Two Germans using alien technology to conquer the world," Lia toyed with the thought. "I swear I saw something like that in our world."

"But that's all fiction," Ria bumped her from the side. "This is real, and if they can control these aliens and know how to defeat your most powerful Witch, then the Allies can be in a lot of trouble here."

"Never mind them," Kyoko remarked. "We, too, are in a bunch of trouble considering our circumstances."

"Agreed," Ishida nodded "And since we do not have that much crew, we'll need every hand we can get."

"Well then," the Archduchess pressed onto the next matter. "I believe it's your turn to explain everything."

"We understand. However, it appears that Officer Liu has already given some information."

"Only the minimal details," Major Sakamoto mentioned. "And we do not know much other than you're Kyoko's superior officers."

"Then we shall get started," Max went ahead. "To start, I am Maxine Stapleton, Lieutenant of the Arahi Military Forces, First Officer of the Black Iris, and a magical girl liaison for General Ishida."

General Ishida nodded his head as Mio went next.

"Mio Sergeant, Commander of the complementary forces within the Black Iris, another one of the General's XOs, and acting leader of Arahi magical girl military units."

Maxine then turned to the twins.

"The two girls you see before you are the Ustez twins, Lia and Ria."

"Twins!?" Yoshika's eyes widened over the two. "But they look so different!"

"Don't let our personalities and appearances fool you," Ria remarked. "We were born simultaneously from the same mothers, and that's all the proof you need."

"Neither have military rank, but they are invaluable assets to the Black Iris and resistance groups overall," Max noted. "Finally, we see that you're already familiar with Officer Kyoko Liu, who has become a pilot for our Titania Machina Unit."

"We are more than familiar with Officer Liu," Sakamoto commented. "We also understand that he's under your command in your war against the Anti-Magic Faction."

"From what we understand, you're rebelling against a worldwide organization that hunts magic users," Finé joined in. "If you don't mind, can you explain more?"

"What you said is the gist of it," Maxine confirmed. "Just like your world, magic exists in ours, and the most prominent of them are young females. For this reason, the world classifies us as 'magical girls.'"

"In other words," Ria said to the side. "You're no different from us."

"So you grow animalistic traits, just like when we operating Striker Units?" Lynette was curious about their system.

"Not exactly," Maxine corrected her. "However, but these transformations are important because they allow magical girls to access their powers and switch back to normal girls. Furthermore, it must be often done by using a trinket."

"A trinket?"

"A brooch, a pen, a jewel, a crystal, or a wand. Usually, they are small items specified for that particular transformation and connect to an external source that gives them their powers, though it's not always the case."

"So, what external source would yours be?" Major Sakamoto raised a question. "Where do your magical girl powers come from?"

"These small white crystals right here," Ria showed a crystal white, translucent rod at the palm of her hand with her twin sister. It was less than a foot long and three inches in diameter. "And they are connected to the entity of Hope."

"Entity?"

As Lynette remained confused about the word, Maxine cared to explain.

"In our world, there are two elements that are the sources of all mass and energy in the world, two metaphysical entities that transcend the power of even what we perceive as gods. And they are constantly in motion, always interacting, creating, destroying, and shifting the universal order. One of these entities is what we call Hope, which slowly but surely manifests these crystals in areas where there's a lot of negativity and depression. We call these trinkets 'Hope Crystals,' and for reasons we cannot be sure of, they only activate for women."

"Then why does Mr. Liu have powers, too?" Lynette raised a good question regarding Liu's powers.

"His case is different," Maxine put the topic aside. "For now, you should know that these crystals aren't supposedly made for just any girl. They normally appear for those who have suffered great misfortune and stress in their life. Years of bullying and parental abuse, loss of loved ones, crippling accidents, incurable diseases, anything that horribly affects their life make them candidates for these Crystals."

"I see, so they bring hope to those who have none," Mio Sakamoto concluded.

"An accurate interpretation. However, even the transformation sequences are different, especially when it comes to the first time."

"W-What do you mean?" Francesca asked in frustration. "Is activating a crystal for the first time that important?"

"When a girl activates a Hope Crystal for the first time, she is 'registered' by the Hope Entity for the lack of a better word. The entity analyzes the girl by her background and, more importantly, her deepest desires. All those then determine what powers, uniforms, and weapons you would have. When all goes well, she becomes a full-fledged magical girl."

"Weapons to achieve one's desires," Erica had some malevolent thoughts as Maxine continued.

"Furthermore, the Hope Crystal itself turns into the girl's primary weapon, which reverts to its original form when she transforms back to a normal girl. Unlike most other systems, these crystals can exchange hands with other magical girls who lost their crystals."

"I can see how that makes your system a lot more flexible than ours," Sakamoto complimented. "But that doesn't explain how Officer Liu possesses magical power."

"Officer Liu is what you can call a byproduct of a magical girl's existence," Maxine turned to the young boy. "A common effect of being a magical girl is leaving residual energy, which can affect nearby people. At some point, it can cause a mutation among these ordinary citizens, suddenly giving them a capacity to store mana and utilize it for their own purposes."

"From what I understand, they refer to me as an Acolyte," Kyoko stated the name of such people.

"Acolytes require an item they are strongly attached to, but once they have it, they can use their stored mana and use unique powers that they manifested."

"What is your item?" Yoshika asked the boy.

"A violin bow," Kyoko took it out form his backpack, which transformed from a simple wooden bow with string into a Damascus-colored one with blue lines and silvery-blue strings. "My family always wanted me to be a violinist, so it's a treasured keepsake. But other than using the bow like a sword and operating my Titania, I haven't explored much about my Acolyte powers."

"And that's not all," Maxine mentioned. "Acolytes have little or no mana regeneration, and they must gather more mana residue to regain their powers."

"Just like how the Izetta relies on ley lines…"

Finé and Izetta nodded in agreement, coming to the same conclusion regarding Kyoko's power.

"Is that the reason why you have Kyoko around?"

"None by any means," "Like we said, we do everything to treat magic users humanely and allow them their freedom. Unfortunately, that kind of freedom isn't available yet.

"The Anti-Magic Faction," Finé presumed, prompting Maxine to nod.

"Throughout history, the AMF existed as a secret society that hunts down magic users wherever they appeared. Besides having their personal army and technology beyond most of the world, they also use their influence to erase or demonize their existence. Religion, politics, military, economic powers, you name it."

"Why would they do such horrible things?" Yoshika had rare feelings of anger empathized by the rest of the team.

"We have many theories, and everyone we have encountered had different reasons. What matters is that no matter how friendly or innocent magic users are, they make all attempts to off us. However, it's thanks to that reason that we magical girls began armed resistance. This ship, the Black Iris, represents the spearhead of our counterattack against the AMF."

The girls all looked around the interior of the ship in awe around Maxine.

"Originally, it was supposed to be an emergency flagship vessel created by the military in case of apocalyptic circumstances or collapse of the government. Thanks to us magical girls, we not only completed this vessel but upscaled it by giving upgrades to accommodate for our fight against the AMF. Of course, when the AMF invaded our home island, we had to use this as a temporary home."

"You should see all of the features we've put onto the ship," Lia chanted from the side. "Besides a launch bay, this also serves as a personal stadium!"

"This is a personal stadium?" Lynette raised an eyebrow in surprise as she examined the platform. "You mean like concerts and games on?"

"You have quite the interesting of recreation," Major Sakamoto said after giving a heartful laugh.

"Such a ridiculous use of equipment," Gertrude scorned.

"There are also many critical features to make this machine ever so versatile," Maxine resumed. "It takes in the surrounding ocean water for both oxygen collection and water desalinization and purification. And apart from manufacturing parts, the Assemblers can produce food in our kitchen. The only problem we have collecting the matter to do so, one of the few reasons we go to the surface in times of war."

"I'll admit, you clearly plan for every accommodation and situation," Sakamoto had to comment again. "But considering your enemy, we should not find that surprising."

"But we're not just a mobile home base for the resistance," Maxine clarified. "Magical girls and their allies are all over the planet, but we are essentially a forward base for offensive strikes against the AMF. However, the recent battles have hindered our capabilities. And with most of our forces are back on our world, we are operating under a skeleton crew, forcing Kurohana to operate our systems."

"Kurohana?" Yoshika asked, wondering who that was.

"It's the name of the ship's device that automatically regulates its systems. Once we have enough personnel to manually run the ship's systems, it can safely create a human-like Avatar to personally interact with the crew. Think of it as like a human being made by the ship itself."

"Amazing…What kind of person is she?"

"Unfortunately, the Avatar Interfacing System is inoperable," Ishida entered the conversation. "Until we regroup with our other forces, she won't be able to meet face-to-face."

"And that's not the worst of our troubles," Max added. "Most of our weapon systems are damaged or depleted of ammunition, leaving us exposed to enemy fire. If we engage in a serious firefight, the Black Iris will go down for sure."

"Then we shall not let that happen," Sakamoto assured.

"M-Major?" Gertrude turned to her commanding officer.

"I agree with the Major," Finé joined in. "It appears that we have no means of returning home, so we're in this together whether you like it or not."

"Are you sure?" Maxine took a look at the Striker Units that they recovered, which were not in good shape. "Most of your machines are not in any condition to fight, and the war against the AMF is ours. We cannot force you to get involved."

"We understand everything you've been through, and with the Vilag threat still around, an alliance with you is inevitable. Witches will never watch idly when everyone's worlds are at stake."

"I also want to help you," Izetta sided with the Major. Finé already understood that she's made her decision to fight as did several of the other 501st members. "I don't understand much of this either, but if the Archduchess and her country are in danger, I want to do anything to help."

The other Black Iris personnel saw how the other girls remained silent. It was clear that the others have made up their minds as well.

"We appreciate your consideration," the General nodded in acceptance before some beeping on a screen near Maxine. "Lieutenant?"

"It's Kurohana," Maxine read the information coming from the ship's computer. "The data analysis of the surrounding area is complete and…hold on."

"What is it, Lieutenant?"

"Kurohana asks us to head up to the bridge for further details."

* * *

It wasn't long before the Black Iris officers reached the bridge. Finé, Izetta, Sakamoto, and Gertrude were allowed to come up to the bridge as the holograms opened. They could still not get over the incredible technologies onboard the massive vessel.

"What's going on?" Finé approached Maxine, who interfaced with the screens.

"Kurohana contacted multiple communications satellites in the past couple hours. They're more advanced than the ones back in our Earth but are still open to the public. We should be getting receiving map data shortly."

The screens then projected a map of Earth, one that the guests were familiar with since it was Earth before Neuroi devoured must of the landmass. A golden blip appeared in the East China Sea, close to Fuso, or what the Black Iris crew called Japan.

"General, it looks like we have arrived on Earth again. Coordinates indicated we're at 35 North, 138 East."

"Could this be your original Earth?" Finé asked the Lieutenant.

"I'm afraid that is not possible," Max split the map into two, with one showing red markings. The most notable difference was a missing island in the South China Sea. "For starters, our home nation of Arahi does not appear on the given maps of this Earth. The political geography is also vastly different since we have four power blocs. This one has only one large superstate that's currently at war with a worldwide collection of smaller nations. Finally…the calendar of the planet states the year is 2088 AD, more than 30 years head of our current timeline."

"So we didn't just jump to a whole new Earth, but also a different time," Ishida concluded. "What about the condition of the Black Iris?"

"Nothing is too critical at the moment. The Gravity Drives are still functioning, but our underwater propulsion system has been damage. We won't be able to go underwater until it repaired. As for our armament, we only have one volley of tactical missiles left, and several of our Bullet Globes have been damaged. Repairs are underway, but it will still take some time everything is complete, not to mention we're running low on usable metal ore for conducting repairs. Unless we find a location where we can produce the needed resources, the situation isn't favorable for us."

"Is there any place where you can land?" Major Sakamoto asked.

"Kurohana has scanned the nearby islands for acceptable landing zones, but none of them appear to be safe or stable. However, she has recommended a point of interest not far from here."

"What kind of interest?" Ishida inquired.

"At first, images showed a military base that has come under attack by an enemy force. Naturally, it would be wise to avoid such dangerous areas."

"Why would Kurohana recommend a suicide mission into a warzone?" Finé wondered.

"Because apparently, there's another spacetime distortion manifesting in that area."

Once again, the General and the others weren't sure to take this as a good or bad sign. The Black Iris wasn't ready for full-scale combat either. But if there was something that allowed them to home, they had to go and investigate.

* * *

 ** _INTERRUPTION MESSAGE_**

 ** _Alice: This is a save spot for Magical Girl Convergence, huh? Say, Tipler, how did you manage to get one of these?_**

 ** _Tipler: I-I didn't, Alice-sama._**

 ** _Alice: Come on, Tipler. Should you be out here saying something to the readers?_**

 ** _Tipler: Well, I…_**

 ** _Alice: If you're not going to say something, then I will. They're not going to stick around forever._**

 ** _Alice: Hope you're out there cheering for me! Because if you don't, the Vilag's going to win, and no one's going to like their kind of future._**

 ** _Alice: What new adventures await us in the next chapter? You'll have to stay tuned to find out. Gotta run!_**

 ** _Tipler: …_**

 ** _Tipler: Why am I the one close this skit?_**

 ** _Tipler: Oh, Alice-sama, you're always the one to rush into things…_**

* * *

 _So, after an overview of each series introduced so far, the Black Iris in enroute to the next spacetime distortion._

 _And from here on out, there will be these little messages similar to those in the SRW games._

 _Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter._


End file.
